Oddball
by Lights aura858
Summary: When I first started out on this journey, I thought I was the oddball, the third wheel, the one that didn't belong. But now, I'm starting to think that maybe I was supposed to come with you all along.
1. Chapter 1

The Start of a Tale

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone and welcome to _Oddball._ I'll start off by saying that although this follows the first Kingdom Hearts storyline, I am taking creative license to manipulate some of it to appeal to me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I only own my character Rin.

* * *

Rin stared out her bedroom window, a contented sigh escaping her lips. She loved lazy days like these. The warm breeze lazily floated through her window while a seagull cawed in the distance.

It was summer, her favorite time of year, and she was going to spend it building a raft on the small island nearby.

* * *

It had been Kairi's idea that she helped out.

"Come on," Kairi said as she grabbed her books from her locker and slammed it shut. "It will be fun."

Rin smiled. It was funny. At the beginning of the year, Kairi and she barely exchanged words. Kairi always hung out with Riku and Sora, two other boys in school.

As fate would have it though, Kairi and she were made lab partners for their science class. The first couple of days were spent in silence only speaking when something needed to be done.

Finally one day while they were filling up beakers, Kairi said, "you know, your hair is really cool."

Rin unconsciously ran her hand through her brown hair with purple highlights. "Thanks, yours is cool too."

They both stared at each other for a moment and then burst out laughing.

They had been best friends ever since.

"I don't know," Rin said as she grabbed her books and followed Kairi. "I was thinking I would get a job this summer."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "We're still kids, remember? Our summers are precious. We shouldn't waste them with jobs." She grinned. "Besides, Riku will be there."

Rin immediately blushed. Rin, like a lot of the girls in school, had a huge crush on Riku. And, like most of the girls in school, he didn't know she existed.

"It would be a great bonding experience," Kairi added, imitating the puppy dog look.

Rin sighed. "Okay, why not."

* * *

And that was how Rin found herself waking up early on her first day of summer vacation to go work on a raft. With a slight yawn, she put on a purple tank top and jean shorts. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail so that it would be away from her blue eyes. She searched through her messy drawer until she found the necklace she was looking for.

It was a silver chain necklace with a silver charm of the sun being eclipsed by the crescent moon. She had the necklace for as long as she could remember. Because of this, it had a lot of sentimental value to it so she would wear it whenever she could. The fourteen-year-old looked over herself one more time in the mirror before heading downstairs.

Her uncle was already awake and in the kitchen reading his newspaper. Rin lived with her uncle. She couldn't remember her real parents but never really asked about them. This was because the few times that she did, her uncle would tell her that "the past was past, we must worry about the present." This made her think that he was hiding something from her. Whatever, it was, she trusted that it was for the good. Her uncle had always been like a father to her.

"Good morning," Rin said as she grabbed a banana.

"Going to go build that raft to see other worlds?" He asked, never once taking his eyes off his paper.

Rin winced. When she had told her uncle that she was going to help Kairi and a couple of friends build a raft to see other worlds, he laughed. It had made her feel juvenile like he knew something she didn't. "Yep, sure am," she said as she quickly grabbed her backpack and threw her lunch and her journal in. "So, I'll see you later today."

Her uncle grunted in acknowledgement as he flipped the page. With a slight skip in her step, she headed to the pier.

* * *

Everyone had their own little wooden boat to take to the small islands nearby. This was because many of these islands held the best fruits and fish around. It was about a ten minute paddle from the main island to the island that she was meeting Kairi, Sora, and Riku. She had only been there a few times over the past couple of years. When she did, she felt like she had entered a playground. Many of the local kids enjoyed spending their time frolicking on its pristine white beaches. Also when she came, she felt like she was entering someone else's home. This was probably because Riku, Kairi and Sora had grown up playing on the island.

As she tied her boat to the pier, Kairi came running up to her. The short red-haired blue-eyed girl was positively beaming when she saw Rin. "I'm so glad you made it!"

"Where's Sora and Riku?" Rin asked as she stood up.

Kairi sighed. "Riku is probably already gathering materials for the raft and knowing Sora, he's probably sleeping."

Rin giggled at the thought. "So, Riku's the productive one and Sora's the procrastinator. Where does that leave you?"

Kairi grinned. "I'm the one who sits around and looks pretty."

The two girls laughed as they linked arms and headed into the island.

A couple minutes later, they found Sora. As Kairi had predicted, the fourteen-year-old brown haired boy was sprawled out on the sand asleep.

Kairi held a finger to her lips as she motioned Rin to follow her.

Sora's face was scrunched up as if he was experiencing something unpleasant.

"Sora," Kairi said.

Sora simply turned away.

Kairi frowned while Rin raised an eyebrow.

"He must be a sound sleeper," Rin said.

"Well, he won't be asleep for long," Kairi said as she leaned towards Sora's ear. "Sora!"

His eyes snapped open. Kairi and Rin quickly backed away as Sora sat up. He let out a yawn as he rubbed the back of his head. "What happened?" He mumbled.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Sora, you lazy bum, you were dreaming."

Sora shook his head. "You don't understand. There was this huge black thing that tried to swallow me up. I couldn't breathe and…"

Kairi whacked him on the head playfully. "You were dreaming."

Sora shot her a glare before glancing up at Rin. "Who are you?"

Rin shuffled her foot as Kairi stood up. "This is Rin, remember? She was going to help us with the raft."

Sora's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah, I remember now." He quickly stood up and stuck out his hand. "My name's Sora. It's nice to finally meet you Rin."

Rin shook his hand. "Yeah, nice to formally meet you too."

"Where's Riku?" Kairi asked as she looked around.

Sora frowned. "I think he said he was going to go look for some wood." He shrugged. "I figured I'd wait for him until he came back."

"Sounds good to me," Kairi said as she flopped down beside him.

As Rin sat down beside her, she couldn't help but notice how at ease both of them seemed to be around each other. Granted, she had heard rumors that Sora, Riku, and Kairi had been friends since they were really young but she was still surprised.

"Hey Kairi," Sora said as he gazed out at the sea. "What was your hometown like? You know, where you grow up?"

"I told you, I don't remember," Kairi said.

Rin frowned. "Wait, you're not from here?"

"Oh that's right," Kairi said, "I never told you. I originally came from another world when I was around six years old." She sighed. "I just don't remember where it was."

"That's one of the reasons why we wanted to build the raft," Sora said as he glanced at Rin. "We want to see her world and see if other worlds are out there…" A dreamy smile crossed his face. "I want to see them all."

"I'll go with you," Kairi said. "And so will Rin, right?"

Rin grinned. "Yeah, seeing other worlds would be fun."

"Hmm, looks like I'm the only one working on the raft," said a familiar voice.

Rin blushed as she slowly looked behind her. Riku stood looking highly amused with them. The fifteen-year-old had a log propped on his shoulder as his silver hair glowed in the sunlight.

"So you noticed we weren't working," Kairi giggled. "Okay, I admit we did, but we had a good reason."

Rin quickly stood up and held out her hand. "I'm Rin."

Riku grinned as he shook her hand. "Oh, so you're the famous Rin Kairi's been telling us about. Nice to put a face to a name."

Rin blushed as she muttered. "I wouldn't call me famous."

"Okay," Kairi said as she stood up. "Now that introductions are done, let's finish the raft together." She grinned mischievously. "I'll race you!"

"What?" Sora and Riku said at the same time.

Kairi gave Rin a pleading look. Rin rolled her eyes. "We should race. It will be fun."

Sora and Riku sighed as they took their places.

Kairi raised her hand into the air and tried to look serious. "On your mark... get set…" She grinned as she grabbed Rin's hand and ran, giggling.

"Hey," Sora yelled. "You never said go!"

Although Rin still felt slightly out of place in this trio's circle, she couldn't help but let out a delighted laugh as she ran after Kairi.

* * *

After the race, Riku designated jobs for each of them. Rin was assigned to find a sail. Kairi suggested checking the old tree house.

"Every kid uses it for some game," Kairi said. "I bet there is loads of stuff up there."

With a deep breath, Rin climbed up the old rickety ladder. Once she reached the tree house, she went inside. It was almost stripped bare minus a sheet that was nailed to a wall. _That looks like a perfect sail_, Rin thought as she began to take it down.

A rustle to her right startled her. She looked over and froze. A strange black creature with antennae and yellow eyes stared back at her.

_I've never seen a creature like that before._

It let out a strange yelp before lunging at her. Without even thinking, Rin yanked the sail off the wall and caught the creature in mid-leap. It thrashed wildly as she tried to keep the creature from escaping. As she quickly pinned it to the ground, she wondered what the heck she was going to do with this thing.

A moment later, the thrashing stopped. The sail went completely flat. She frowned as she peeked into the sheet. Her eyes widened as she spread the sheet opened. The creature was gone.

"What the…"

"Rin!" Kairi called from below. "Are you about done up there?"

Rin shook her head as she cleared her thoughts. "I must have imagined it."

"Rin!"

"I'm coming," Rin said as she hurried out of the house. She wanted to believe that she had imagined that creature but a part of her wasn't so sure.

* * *

By the end of the day, they had finished building the raft. All four of them were tired but pleased with their results. Enjoying their accomplishment, the four of them decided to relax for a couple of minutes on the fallen log.

"So," Sora said. "Kairi's home is somewhere out there, right?"

Riku shrugged. "Could be, we'll never know if we stay here."

Rin leaned back on the log and closed her eyes. She was too exhausted to have a deep contemplative moment.

"But how far can a raft take us?" Sora asked.

Rin frowned as she remembered her uncle laughing at their idea.

"Who knows? If we have to, we can think of something else," Riku said.

That was one of the reasons, Rin liked Riku. He was determined and dedicated to whatever he set his mind too. That was a trait she really admired.

Kairi propped her head in her hand. "Suppose you got to another world. What would you do there?"

Riku frowned. "Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just..." he choose his next words carefully."I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

Sora leaned back on the tree. "I don't know."

"Exactly, that's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."

_Wow, he's such a deep thinker_ Rin thought as a slight blush crept onto her cheeks. _That is so cool._

"You have been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked.

"Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this." Riku looked her in the eye. "Kairi, thanks."

Kairi blushed and looked away "You're welcome."

For a moment, Rin thought that there was something going on between Riku and Kairi. She started to panic before she remembered that Kairi was trying to help her get Riku. Still, that didn't mean that Riku wasn't already in love with Kairi and she was too oblivious to see it.

They all fell into silence for a few moments.

"So, Rin," Sora said causing her to look up. "What would you do if you got to another world?"

Rin frowned as she tried to think of something. All she could come up with was a big blank. "I don't know," She hung her head. "That's bad, isn't it?"

Sora laughed before shaking his head. "No, it's not." He pointed to Riku. "We can't all be deep thinkers like Riku."

Riku gave him a glare.

Kairi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry when we get to another world, the first thing you and I will do is go shopping."

Rin grinned. "Now that sounds like a good idea."

They both giggled as Riku and Sora rolled their eyes.

"Girls," Sora said.

* * *

"Hey Sora!" Riku called as he threw something towards him. The sun was beginning to set which meant it was time for them to leave. Rin and Kairi had already gone ahead.

"Huh?" Sora caught the object. It was a yellow star-shaped fruit.

"You wanted one didn't you?" Riku asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"A Paopu fruit?" Sora looked at Riku in confusion.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what." He grinned at Sora."C'mon, I know you want to try it."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. Both boys turned around to see Rin with her eyebrow raised.

"Oh, hey," Sora said as he quickly hid the paopu fruit behind his back.

"I thought you already left with Kairi," Riku said sheepishly.

"I thought I left something," she said as she pointed back to the fallen log.

They stood in awkward silence for a couple of moments.

"Okay then," Rin said as she scratched the back of her neck. "I'll just get going then. I'll see you two later, okay?"

"Okay," Riku said.

"See ya!" Sora added.

Rin made sure she was out of earshot before she burst out laughing. Their expressions were priceless.

"Looks like Sora likes Kairi," Rin said after she had calmed down. "This is going to be an interesting summer vacation."

* * *

She was practically flying as she ran towards her house. The boat ride took longer than usual so it was already dark by the time she got back. She knew her uncle would not be happy that she was coming in so late.

"I'm here!" She yelled as she entered the house. She doubled over as she tried to catch her breath.

Her uncle popped out of the kitchen looking slightly amused. "You look like you ran a marathon."

Rin stood back up. "I was trying to get here before dark."

"And you failed," He sighed. "Your dinner's in the kitchen."

Rin looked at him suspiciously. "What? No lecture?"

Her uncle shook his head. "Nope, just dinner."

_There's got to be a catch,_ Rin thought as she sat down in front of her plate. She took a bite. It was cold. She grimaced as she swallowed.

"Well," he said as an amused grin appeared on his face. "It would have been warm if you got here on time."

"I knew there was a catch," Rin said as she forced herself to eat.

Her uncle chuckled as he sat down. "So, did you get your raft done?"

Rin nodded. "Sure did. We're getting food supplies tomorrow."

Her uncle smirked.

Rin frowned. "Why won't you take this seriously?"

"I would if I knew you weren't just doing this for a boy."

Rin's face heated up.

Her uncle took a sip of his coffee, satisfied with her reaction.

As she continued to eat, her thoughts floated back to what had happened that day. An image of the creature flashed in her head. Swallowing her food, she said. "What kind of animals live on the islands?"

"Mostly birds, small rodents," He grinned. "Mosquitoes." He studied her for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just," Rin looked down at her plate. "I saw this weird creature today."

"What did it look like?"

Rin scrunched her eyebrows as she tried to remember. "It was black with antennae and big yellow eyes." She frowned as she noticed her uncle stiffen. "Something wrong?"

Her uncle shook his head. "It's nothing." He quickly got up. "I need to do something. Let me know when you go to bed."

"Oh," Rin said as her uncle suddenly left the room. "Okay then." Her frown deepened. _What's wrong with him?_ She stared down at her plate. _He couldn't be upset about that creature I saw, could he?_

_

* * *

_

L.A.: And, the first chapter is finished. Rin has been introduced and apparently her uncle knows something she doesn't. Anyway, tell me what you think!


	2. Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before the Storm

* * *

L.A.: Okay, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Rin woke up early the following morning. For a few moments, she wasn't sure where she was. For some reason she thought there should be someone sitting at the end of her bed. These ridiculous idea soon vanished as she remembered she was in her room.

She wasn't sure why but she had had episodes like these several times a year. She wasn't sure what triggered them or what caused them. All that she knew was that she was very annoyed when it happened.

Still groggy, she threw on her clothes. She looked in the mirror and squinted at her reflection. She examined her hair in the mirror. She had been changing the color of her hair over the past couple of years. This was the longest time she had kept the same hairstyle. She wondered what type of hair color Riku liked on girls.

Rin sighed as she stepped away from her mirror. "I am so pathetic."

Grabbing her backpack, she headed downstairs to the kitchen. She peeped around the corner. "Hey…" she trailed off when she noticed the kitchen was empty. "That's strange. He's always here in the morning."

She shrugged as she entered the kitchen. "Oh, well, I guess there is a first time for everything."

As she passed by the table, she noticed that a book was opened. Curious, Rin peered at the page. Her eyes widened. "What the…"

A drawing of the creature she had seen the day before was in the book. There was writing beside it. "Heart…less," Rin frowned. "What's a heartless?"

"Oh, Rin," Her uncle said as he entered the room. "Your friends are here…" He trailed off as he saw her staring at the book. Quickly, he grabbed the book.

"Uncle, what's that book?" Rin asked. "And what's a heartless?"

Her uncle looked away from her. "Your friends are here. You don't want to keep them waiting."

Rin was about to protest when she noticed the worried look in his eyes. Whatever reason he was keeping it from her, she just had to trust him. Rin sighed. "Fine, I'll see you later." She turned to leave.

"Rin," her uncle called out.

Rin looked back.

"Be careful, okay."

Rin frowned. "Okay, sure."

As she went to greet Sora and Kairi she couldn't but be disturbed by her uncle's warning.

_Be careful. Be careful of what?_

* * *

Rin sighed as she walked down the sandy beach. Riku hadn't arrived yet so they all decided to wander off and have time to themselves.

_The ocean is so nice _She thought as she watched the waves crash. The cool sea breeze wrapped itself around her creating a feeling of relaxation.

Something glittered out of the corner of her eye. Looking down, Rin saw a small whitish purple Thalassa shell being rocked gently by the surf. _Wow! I've never seen one that color before. _Rin thought as she bent down and scooped it up. As soon as she picked up the shell, she felt as if she was being watched. The beach had become ominous, eerie, and quiet.

Unearthly quiet.

She was unsure why this feeling came over her. She was used to the beach being quiet in the morning and usually enjoyed the silence. Rin gasped when she realized what had caused her senses to tingle. She couldn't feel the sea breeze against her anymore or hear the crashing of the waves. Looking out at the ocean, she saw that the waves were completely still. It was almost as if time had stopped.

"You're not supposed to be here," a voice whispered behind her. Rin whirled around but no one was there.

"This isn't your part," the voice said to her right. She turned to face the speaker. A hooded figure stood before her with its arms crossed. The voice was distorted, making it hard for Rin to tell if the person were a boy or a girl.

"Who are you?" Rin asked as she shifted from one foot to the other uneasily.

"The question you should be asking isn't Who are You but rather Who am I."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rin asked angrily. She wasn't sure why she was so defensive all of the sudden. The person though was creeping her out.

"Our past help define who we are. Without it, we would only be half a being, a mere shadow of ourselves." The hooded figure vanished for a second only to reappear right beside Rin, merely an arm's length away. "I wonder, without your past, if you will even be able to survive?"

"Look, just cause I don't know who my parents are does not mean that I am not me," Rin said.

The figure laughed. "So naive. So weak. If only you knew..."

Rin was bright red at this time. "For your information, I am a lot stronger than I look. I can take anything that you can throw at me."

Before Rin could swat at the hooded figure, it vanished, reappearing in its original spot. The figure crossed its arms and laughed slightly. "You have spunk, I will give you that. But spunk alone will not save you. Without your past, you're not much use to anyone."

"Excuse me?" Rin asked as she clinched her fists. "What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," The figure shrugged. "I'm just stating what I observe. Those three are a close knit group. The bond they formed is tight. You, however, are the odd ball. The tag along so to speak."

Rin looked away. She didn't want to admit it but the figure was right. She shook her head. _I've just met them, of course they don't know me well. _She glared at the figure. _What does this guy know anyway._

The figure turned its back on her and was silent for a few moments. Then, leaning its hooded head back at her, it said quietly, "Enjoy today. It will be the last peaceful day you will have for a long time." Before Rin could respond, the figure vanished.

The sea breeze rushed to greet her and the welcoming sound of the crashing waves filled her ears. Even though it was warm, Rin couldn't help but shiver.

* * *

By the time Rin had wandered back, Riku had arrived.

She was half tempted to tell them what had happened but she decided against it. She still wasn't sure if it was a figment of her over active imagination. Also, she was pretty sure they wouldn't believe her and she definitely did not want to make a bad impression on Riku.

"Hey!" Rin called as she ran up to them.

Riku frowned. "Where have you been?"

Rin blushed as she looked away. "I went for a walk." She glanced to her right and saw Sora glaring at everyone with half closed eyes. "Um, are you alright?"

"Mornings are stupid," Sora said. "I don't see how anyone can be happy about them."

"He's not a morning person, if you can't tell" Kairi whispered.

Rin giggled but immediately stopped when she saw Sora glaring at him. "So," Rin said innocently, "what's on the agenda today?"

"Well," Kairi said. "We are going to collect food later on..."

"But?" Rin asked with a raised eyebrow. She could always tell when there was more to what Kairi was saying.

Kairi grinned. "But first, Sora and Riku want to race each other."

Rin couldn't help but roll her eyes as Sora and Riku sized each other up.

They took their racing stances while Rin and Kairi stood on either side of them.

"On your mark" Kairi said as she raised her hand.

"Get set" Rin said as she too raised her hand.

"GO!" they yelled as they both brought their hands down simultaneously.

The boys speed off kicking up a cloud of dirt.

Both Rin and Kairi tried to wave away the dirt as they coughed.

"You know," Rin said in between coughs. "They didn't have to be so dramatic about it."

"Well," Kairi said, "qhile they're acting all macho, how about we have some girl talk of our own."

Rin grinned. "Oh, can we wear pink frilly dresses and drink teas?"

Kairi grinned. "And talk about the latest fads and who is cute."

They both laughed as they sat down.

"Can we be more girly," Rin asked.

"I wouldn't rule it out," Kairi said. She frowned. "Hey, what's in your hand?"

Rin looked down at her hand in surprise. She had forgotten that the purple thalassa shell was still in her hand. "It's a shell I found on the beach."

"Aw, it's pretty" Kairi grinned. "You should totally put it in a necklace."

"Really?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, sailors used to make Thalassa shells necklaces for good luck." She hit her fist into her palm. "You know what, if we have time, we should both make one. After all, we are going to sail off into the sea tomorrow."

"Sounds like fun," Rin said.

They both looked up and saw Riku running up followed by a thoroughly soaked Sora.

"What happened to you?" Rin asked as her lips twitched. She was trying really hard not to laugh. By the glare Sora had on his face, she figured it wouldn't be a good idea.

"The plank broke and I fell in the water," Sora grumbled.

"Well," Kairi said. "I guess that makes Riku the winner."

Riku grinned while Sora continued to pout.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Sora, don't be like that. I was only kidding about the bet anyway."

Rin and Kairi looked at each other before looking back at the boys.

"Bet?" Rin asked.

"What bet?" Kairi added as she looked from one to the other suspiciously.

Sora straightened up. "It was nothing." He said quickly. "Don't we need to get supplies?"

Rin and Kairi continued to eye him suspiciously but let it go.

* * *

_I am going to kill Kairi_, Rin thought as she dug a mushroom out from the ground. They decided to split up in groups of two in order to expedite the process.

Kairi had suggested Rin went with Riku while raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Rin was about to protest when Riku agreed.

Now, she was gathering mushrooms wondering how the heck to start a conversation with him.

_Maybe I should have brought note cards,_ Rin thought. _Then I could have conversation topics._

She smacked her forehead. _Seriously, did I just think about having note cards? Am I really that incapable of talking with a boy?_

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, disrupting her thoughts.

Rin grinned. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Riku looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh. "When you smacked your head, you kind of left a huge dirt smudge on your forehead."

Rin turned bright red as she turned away and frantically rubbed at her forehead. _This is so embarrassing._

Riku laughed. "Really, you don't have to worry. I'm probably just as dirty."

Rin looked back to see that Riku was covered in a sheen of sweat that seemed to make him glow. Even the few patches of dirt just added to his manliness. While she looked like a hag, he looked like an Adonis.

"Not really," she said.

They lapsed into silence.

"So," Rin said after a minute. "Nice weather we're having, huh?" _Seriously, did I just ask him about the weather?_ She resisted the urge to smack herself because that would only end up with her having more dirt marks.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I love days like these. I've always been a summer person myself."

"Me too," Rin sighed dreamily. "I just love being able to walk around in tank tops and shorts. You have the excuse to let the sand in between your toes…"

"No school," Riku and Rin said at the same time.

They both looked at each other and laughed.

"Looks like we have something in common," Riku said.

Rin blushed. "Yeah, it does." She paused in her mushroom digging. "You, Sora, and Kairi have been friends for a long time, right?"

Riku nodded. "Sora and I were practically raised together and Kairi became friends with us almost as soon as she arrived on the island." Riku grinned and leaned towards her. "Don't tell her this; but, when we were little, she used to say she was a princess from another world."

Rin's lips quirked. "Really?"

"We didn't believe her, of course, but she was bound and determined to be a princess in every game we played."

Rin laughed. "That sounds like her."

"Hey Rin," Riku said, suddenly serious. "I'm really glad that Kairi's friends with you. It's nice to know that she has a close female friend." He grinned sheepishly. "Kairi's always hung around us and I think she was sad that she never had someone she could talk to about girls stuff." He motioned to himself. "Neither Sora nor I are good with that. So, I just wanted to tell you thanks."

Rin snorted causing Riku to look at her startled. "You make it sound like I was forced to be friends with her." She rolled her eyes. "I really can't take credit for starting our friendship. If Kairi hadn't commented on my hair we probably never would be friends." Seeing Riku's confused expression, Rin realized how weird this conversation must have been to him. Rubbing the back of her neck, she said. "So, uh, we should probably get back to getting those mushrooms, huh?"

Riku nodded as he returned to his work. "I can see why Kairi and you are so close," Riku said with a grin. "You're one interesting person."

"Thanks?" Rin said slightly unsure. _Interesting?_ She thought as she dug out another mushroom. _What the heck did he mean by that?_

* * *

They decided to leave the raft at the island ready to launch for the following morning. After saying good bye to the guys, Kairi and Rin walked home in silence.

Rin was nervous about the following day. They were going to launch the raft and try to see other worlds. In her entire life, she had never done something so big or bold. She wasn't really sure how she felt about it yet.

"So," Kairi said slowly. "I think Sora likes me." She glanced at Rin. "But, you already figured that out, huh?"

Rin nodded. "Yeah, I did." She raised an eyebrow. "How do you feel about him?"

Kairi sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. I've been friends with them for so long that I hadn't thought of either one of them as anything more." She whirled around and began to walk backwards. An evil grin was on her face. "Enough about me, what happened between you and Riku?"

Rin glared at her. "You just reminded me that I had to kill you."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "It couldn't have been that bad."

Rin's shoulders slumped. "I thought about having note cards and asked about the weather."

Kairi winced. "Okay, so you had a rough start."

"He likes summer," Rin said. "And, we ended up talking about you."

Kairi giggled. "Well, I am a wonderful conversation topic."

Rin stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, well apparently he thinks I'm interesting."

"That's good."

Rin crossed her arms. "He could think that I'm interesting as in cool or he could think I'm interesting as in weird."

Kairi threw an arm over her shoulder. "You are not weird. Eccentric, maybe, but not weird."

"Thanks for the self-confidence boost," Rin said sarcastically.

Kairi nudged her. "Stop being so pessimistic. At least, he knows you exist now."

They stopped walking and stared at each other. They were about to head in separate directions.

Rin let out a deep breath. "So, tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow," Kairi said. "Bright and early."

They both let out a squeal of excitement.

* * *

Kairi was surprised when someone knocked at her front door. She had just finished dinner and was about to go to bed. When she went to answer it, she was surprised to see Riku standing there.

"Uh, hey Riku," She said with a frown. "What are you doing here?" She was surprised to see how uncomfortable he seemed to be around her. He was shifting from one foot to the other and was avoiding eye contact.

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay," Kairi said as she stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you like Sora?" He blurted out. He immediately blushed as did Kairi.

"Why are you asking me this?" She asked slowly.

"I just," He sighed. "I just need to know, alright?" He looked her straight in the eye. His blue eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight and for a moment, she felt her heart flutter.

As she realized this, horror filled her. _I can't be feeling like this_, she thought, unable to take her gaze away from his. _I promised to help Rin… and what about Sora? I can't hurt him._

Riku frowned as he stepped forward. "Are you alright, Kairi?"

She shouldn't be thinking about how close they were. She shouldn't be thinking about how her heart fluttered when he looked at her in concern. And she especially shouldn't be thinking about…

Thunder rumbled in the distance startling them both from their thoughts. She was grateful to have her train of thoughts broken since she didn't like where they were headed.

As the thunder rumbled again, a sudden realization dawned on both of them.

They both looked at each other with horrified expressions. "The raft!"

* * *

Rin let out a sigh as she flopped onto her bed. Although she was exhausted, her mind wouldn't stop spinning.

She had decided that Riku thought she was weird. She had come to this conclusion because she was pretty sure he thought she was an idiot for not having an answer to the question about other worlds.

Really, she should have an answer. Wasn't it every kid's dream to go to other worlds? The truth was that the only thing she knew was Destiny Isles. She loved her home dearly and never really thought of ever leaving it. In fact, if Kairi had never mentioned it, she probably would have never thought of it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. Rin frowned as she sat up. Although they had tied the raft securely, the rough waves could do a lot of damage.

Her eyes widened as another thought occurred to her. "They wouldn't," she said as she stood up. Considering the amount of work they put into the raft, she knew the answer. "Crud," she said as she scooped up her backpack. She had already packed medical supplies inside so she could use them just in case.

_I really hope there isn't a just in case. _She thought as she ran downstairs. She was about out the door when her uncle called. "Rin! Where are you going?"

"I have to go stop my friends from being stupid," Rin said. "I'll be back soon."

She felt a hand on her shoulder preventing her from leaving. She looked back at her uncle and frowned.

"You don't have time for that," Her uncle said as he dragged her away from the door. "We have to leave _now_."

Rin frowned. "Where are we going?"

Her uncle sighed. "I can't explain that right now."

"No," Rin said as she ripped her arm from his grip. "I'm tired of secrets. Until you tell me what's going on, I'm not going to go with you."

Her uncle took a deep breath. "Rin, your friends will be fine. Right now, you just have to trust me."

"But…"

"This isn't your part," He said. She was slightly disturbed by his words since they reminded her of what the figure had said earlier that day.

She glared at him. "No."

Her uncle frowned as he crossed his arms. "Rin, I am your uncle. You will do what I say."

Rin sighed as she gave him a sad look. "Not today." Before he could react, she ran out the door.

She could hear him calling to her, but she ignored him. Right now, she had more important matters.

_I just hope he doesn't ground me until I'm fifty_, she thought as she headed towards her boat.

* * *

The ride over was a lot harder than last time. The waves were rough due to the storm so it took every ounce of her strength to paddle.

She panted hard once she tied her boat up. She noticed that Riku's, Kairi's, and Sora's boats were here. _Guess I was right._

She let out a gasp as she looked up at the sky. She had been so focused on getting to the island that she failed to notice the hovering purple ball within the night sky. "What's going on?"

As she walked down the beach, she couldn't hear any human voices. She called out to them a few times but her only response was the wind whipping sand into her face.

After the fourth time, Rin was about to quit when she noticed movement off to her right. "Kairi?" Rin called as she went closer.

Her eyes widened when she saw what was there. It wasn't Kairi.

It was several of those creatures she had seen before.

She gasped as she slowly stepped back.

The creatures looked up at her with big yellow hungry eyes.

_What am I supposed to do? _Rin thought frantically. _You're supposed to play dead when there's a bear, but what about these creatures?_

The creatures made growling sounds as they started to creep towards her.

"Crud," Rin said as she took off running. She could hear them following her.

Unfortunately the sand didn't have good traction and before she knew it, she was on the ground. She felt a weight on her back. Craning her neck backwards, she saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at her.

She brought her head back down in the sand and closed her eyes. _This is it, _she thought. _I'm going to die by some creepy animal._

_**Don't be afraid.**_

Rin's eyes widened at the sound of the voice.

_**I'll protect you.**_

The weight vanished from her back as she felt herself set back on her feet. The strange creatures from before had disappeared and in her hands was the most beautiful staff she had ever seen.

It was white with the outline of a heart for a topper and little white wings at the topper's base. In the center of the heart was a glowing white orb. The orb seemed to rotate and shimmer.

"What in the world," Rin said as she examined the staff. It felt good in her hands. Like she had held it all her life. It was cold and smooth. It was lightweight so she could twirl and handle with ease.

A loud cracking sound disrupted her thoughts. Her eyes widened when she noticed that her little patch of sand was hovering in mid air. Up above was another island which seemed to hold a giant black monster with a cutout of a heart on his chest.

"This has got to be a dream" Rin whispered. "A cracked out messed up dream."

All of the sudden the wind whipped up around her sending objects up into the sky and into the strange purple ball.

She felt her grip on the sand give as she too was sucked up into the sky. She let out a startled yell as she clutched tightly to her staff.

The last thing she remembered was seeing Sora clinging desperately to a board.

Then nothing

But darkness.

* * *

L.A.: And, now things get interesting. I left out a lot of Sora's parts because I figured most people have played the game and don't want to have an exact script. Anyway, tell me what you think!


	3. Kids These Days

Kids These Days...

* * *

L.A.: Sorry for the delay, here's the next chapter. This one you get to see a little more of a certain someone's story line...

* * *

Sora was surrounded by darkness. He was pretty sure he should be alarmed by this, but for some reason he was at ease. Up ahead, he saw Kairi and Riku standing a little distance away from him. Each had a light shining on them.

He gasped in horror as Riku disappeared into the darkness and Kairi was absorbed by the light.

He attempted to step forward when he felt a hand clasp his from behind. Sora tried to turn around to see who it was but something was preventing him from moving.

**Don't worry Sora, **a voice whispered. The same voice that had spoken to him in his other dream. **Everything that has and will happen is for a reason.**

He felt himself being pulled away from this place. He was able to get a glimpse of something behind him. It was a lock of golden blond hair.

* * *

An unpleasant feeling occurred as Sora awoke. It felt as if something rough and wet was being repeatedly wiped across his face. He opened his eyes briefly only to encounter blurry images. "What a weird dream," Sora muttered as he prepared to go back to sleep.

He heard a soft whine before he felt a sharp rap on his chest. He started slightly as he opened his eyes.

A yellow dog stared back at him, unblinking. He tilted his head up and noticed that he was in some sort of alley. There were garbage cans off to his right. A couple of rats were busy picking at it.

"I guess this isn't a dream." He wrinkled his nose in disgust as one rat eyed him curiously. "Where am I?"

He heard the dull thump of the dog's tail wagging. Glancing back at him, Sora said. "Do you know where we are?" Of course, he knew it was ridiculous to ask a dog this but for some reason he felt that the dog could understand him.

The dog cocked its head to one side as if it were listening for something. It barked once before running out of the alley.

"Hey," Sora said as he quickly stood up and followed it. "Wait up…" he trailed off as he noticed a small town square before him where people were meandering about. He let out a deep breath. "This is so weird," He took a couple of steps into the square. "I'm in another world."

* * *

She felt like she was floating. Nothing but darkness surrounded her. Her mind was fuzzy. She couldn't remember who she was, where she was, or what she was. She was about to fall asleep when a voice called out to her.

"Rin…Rin!"

That name seemed familiar.

"Rin! Wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open. Rin was leaning against a wall in a dark alley. Her head and body ached. A dull thump from her right stirred her from her thoughts. She froze when she saw a wolf staring back at her. It had black fur and red eyes. A strange heart-like insignia was on its chest. Similar to the one on the giant creature she had glimpsed when she was on the island.

_Oh crud,_ she thought as she sat up, now fully alert. _What do I do now?_

The wolf wagged its tail in excitement. "I'm so glad you are awake. You scared me Rin. I thought you were dead." His voice sounded young and had a slight growl to it.

Rin blinked in disbelief. First the wolf talked and now he knew her name. What kind of dream was this?

The wolf seemed completely oblivious to her bewilderment. Grinning he said, "I've missed you so much. I can't believe you're grown up. And, your hair…"

"Who are you?" Rin said. Sure, she was being rude, but she had to know how this creature knew her.

"Oh..." The wolf's ears and tail drooped. "You don't remember me... do you?"

Rin frowned in confusion. "Remember you? You've mean we've met before?"

He shook his head and turned away from her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." He raced off down the alley.

Rin sat there for a few seconds stunned. "Hey, wait up!" she yelled as she scrambled to her feet and raced after him.

* * *

Sora pinched himself a few times to make sure what he was seeing was real. A couple of people gave him odd looks, but other than that, nothing changed.

The dog had disappeared. It probably had gone back to its owner. It didn't really matter though, because he had more important things to worry about.

Where was he? What had happened on the island? Where were Riku and Kairi? And, most importantly, were Riku and Kairi okay?

His attention was drawn away from the town center to a flashing neon green sign that read: Accessory Shop.

"It's as good as any place to start looking," Sora said as he slowly made his way over. As he opened the door, it squealed in protest. Stepping inside, he was greeted by an assortment of odds and ends. The store seemed to have everything from metal pipes to jeweled rings.

Sora approached the counter and rang the bell.

"Hang on a sec.," a voice called from the back. The sound of metal scraping rock and frustrated mumbling reached Sora's ears.

A man approached the cash register, his arms full of boxes. "Hey there," the man said as he set his box down. The man had blonde hair, brown eyes, and, Sora noted with amusement, a toothpick hanging lazily from his mouth. "How can I…" The man trailed off as he looked Sora up and down. The frown on his face showed his disappointment. "Oh, it's just a kid."

Sora crossed his arms and glared. "I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora."

"Okay, simmer down," the man said as he held out a hand. "I didn't mean to offend ya." He took a closer look at Sora. "So, are you lost or something?"

"No," Sora said as he quickly looked away.

"Uh-huh," the man said as he raised an eyebrow.

Sora sighed. _I might as well have my pride wounded rather than myself. _"Well, maybe. Where exactly am I?"

"What?" The man said with a laugh. "Don't tell me you don't know of Traverse Town."

Sora shuffled his foot awkwardly.

"You're serious, ain't ya?"

Sora blushed as he refused to look him in the face.

The man leaned his head into his hand. "Why, you're in the first district of Traverse Town, the town that never sleeps." He reached out and felt Sora's forehead. "Did you hit your head or somethin'?"

"No," Sora said as he quickly swatted away his hand. He said the next part barely above a whisper. "And I'm right to guess that this isn't on an island."

"The last time I checked it wasn't," The man said as he eyed him curiously.

The man probably thought he was crazy, but at the moment, Sora really didn't care. This was still surreal to him. His gaze traveled to the window. "Traverse Town…" he said as he watched a streetlamp lazily flick off and on. The sound of movement beside him reminded him that the man was still there. "So Gramps," Sora said as he turned his attention back to the man. "Is this another world?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Don't call me Gramps," he jabbed a finger at his chest. "The name's Cid." He frowned as he scratched his head. "Don't know what you are talkin' about but this sure ain't your island."

Sora rubbed his forehead. "You haven't seen anyone name Riku or Kairi, have you?"

Cid shook his head. "Nope, the names don't ring a bell." Seeing Sora's disappointment, he added, "but they could be in the other districts."

"Other districts," Sora said. _How many districts are there? _He thought as panic rose within him. _I could be searching for days._

"Three if you include this one," Cid said. "But you need to be careful. The other two are dangerous. If you can't protect yourself then you shouldn't go."

Sora thought back to the mysterious sword that came to his rescue on the island. When he had awoken, it wasn't there. He secretly wished he had the sword now._ But, I have to go look for them, _he thought, _they're counting on me._

"I think I'll be alright," Sora said as he tried to force a grin on his face.

Cid looked skeptical but he just shrugged. "If you say so. Just know, that if you get into any trouble you can come back here." He winked. "I'll look after you."

"Thank Cid," Sora said as he headed out the door. Outside he saw the doors that lead to the second district. They looked ominous and foreboding from where he stood. He took an audible gulp as he forced himself to walk towards them. _At least,_ he thought, _Rin didn't get involved in this._

* * *

When Rin reached the end of the alley, she found herself in the middle of a courtyard. The strange wolf had vanished and she was all by herself. It was at that moment that she realized she wasn't on Destiny Isles anymore.

Panic set in almost immediately. Her breaths became short as she whirled around trying to find something familiar.

"This is not happening," she said as her eyes rested on a pair of giant wooden double doors. "This is so not happening."

It took a couple more minutes before Rin finally calmed herself down. "I need to relax,"sShe said as she slowly walked towards a bench. "I am apparently in another world by myself." She took a deep breath to calm the panic that was rising. "I just need to take stock of my surroundings and think rationally."

She sat on the bench and looked around. A beautiful fountain was off to the right. It glowed yellow and had cute stain glass pieces of two dogs kissing. She let her hand run along the bench. Her finger caught in a groove. Glancing down, she saw that someone had carved the words: Mark was here.

_So was Rin_, she thought with a slight smile on her face. With a sigh, she laid down on the bench.

"At least the sky looks the same."

She sat there for a few minutes, staring at the stars. Feeling drowsy, she was about to close her eyes when she heard a trash can fall. Her eyes snapped open again as she remembered that she was still alone and without any form of defense.

She quickly sat up and looked around. The whole area seemed ominous now. "I really wish I had that staff." She held out her hand and flicked her wrist. A bright light suddenly glowed from her hand. She shrieked as she threw it away. There was a clatter as the staff fully materialized. The ball in the center glowed red for a second before returning to normal.

"Note to self," Rin carefully picked up the staff. "Don't throw the staff." She frowned as she weighed it. "I wonder what kind of staff you are."

_The Heartstaff _

Rin jumped as she looked around. "Hello?

_The Heartstaff._

_Great, disembodied voices are talking to me,_ she thought. "You got a name, disembodied voice?"

There was no answer.

"Fine, I'll just call you Bob. Is that okay with you?"

There was still no answer.

Rin shook her head. "I need to find people. I'm talking to imaginary voices."

She glanced down at the staff in her hands. "Well, I guess I'm calling you the Heartstaff then."

* * *

It took her awhile, but she finally found her way to the first district. She was relieved to find that this area was populated with people. As she scanned the area, her eyes were drawn to a glowing neon sign that read: Accessory Shop.

She readjusted her hold on the Heartstaff. Although she liked having the Heartstaff around, it was heavy. "I wonder if they have some sort of holder for it," she said as she entered the shop.

The door let out a squeal in protest. She winced as she closed the door and walked to the counter. Glancing around, she noted that there was no one there. She did, however, hear movement in the back.

She drummed her fingers as she waited to be helped. A small silver reception bell near the cash register caught her attention. A card in neatly printed letters beside it read: Please ring for service.

"I've always wanted to do this," Rin grinned as she pressed the bell. A light ring filled the air. She waited a moment to see if anyone would respond. When they didn't, she rang the bell again…and again… and again. She was about to ring it for a fourth time when a hand grabbed a bell and pulled it out of her reach.

"I heard you the first time," said a man with short blond hair.

Rin rubbed the back of her head. "Uh, sorry about that. I guess I got carried away."

"Stupid bell," the man muttered as he put it under the counter. "I don't know why Aerith thinks I need it."

"Um," Rin hesitated when the man looked at her. "I was wondering if I could get a holder for my staff."

The man sighed. "Great, another kid."

"What?" Rin said.

But the man didn't seem to hear her since he walked over to a display. "I've got several types. There's one made of silk, another made out of cotton." He paused. "You will want to go for the leather one. It's pretty durable and has been treated to resist some water."

"Oh, okay…"

"Cid," the man said as he brought the holder back. "That's my name."

"Cid…" Rin leaned the Heartstaff against the counter. "My name's Rin."

"Nice to meet you," he glanced at the price tag. "Alright, your total will be 500 munny."

"Munny?" Rin frowned. "What's munny?"

The toothpick in Cid's mouth nearly fell out. "Geez, you're just like the last kid. Soon you're going to tell me that you came from an island too."

"What?" Rin leaned forward excitedly. "There was someone else here?" Had Riku come as well? Or Kairi? She was too scared to believe it was true.

"Yeah, some kid named Sora." He eyed her curiously.

Rin was slightly disappointed that it wasn't Riku, but she quickly shook it off. At least there was someone else here that she knew. "You wouldn't know where he went, did you?"

Cid scratched his chin. "I think he said something about going to the third district…"

Rin quickly grabbed the Heartstaff. "Thanks for your help." She said as she raced to the door.

"Wait," Cid said. "You forgot your hold…"

He was cut off by the slamming of the front door.

* * *

Sora was exhausted. After exploring the other two districts and fighting once again those strange creatures from the island, he was about ready to give up. If it weren't for his friends, he would have already crawled into bed and called it a day. He glanced down at the strange key-shaped sword in his hand.

He had been lucky that the sword appeared when it did. If he hadn't had it, there would have been no way he would have survived. He shivered as he thought of the man who had his heart taken from his chest. What if that had happened to him? He quickly dismissed the thought.

Cid's Accessory Shop was a welcome sight. As he entered the shop, he saw Cid's busily cleaning his counter.

Cid looked up. "From the look on your face, I take it that you didn't find your friends?"

Sora sadly nodded.

"Well, I've got some news for you," Cid grinned. "One of your friends was just in here."

Sora immediately perked up. "What?"

"It was a young girl."

_Kairi,_ Sora thought. His exhaustion evaporated as he turned towards the door.

"She ran off towards the second district in search for…"

"Thanks Cid!" Sora said as he ran out the door and slammed it shut behind him.

"Kids these days," Cid muttered as he went back to cleaning his counter.

* * *

L.A.: And, that's the end of this chapter. Poor Cid. Those kids are going to drive him crazy. Anyway, please review!


	4. Back Alley and Living Armor

Back Alleys and Living Armor

L.A.: So it's been awhile but I figured since no one seems interested in this story, I'd update at my own leisure. Anyway enjoy!

* * *

Rin groaned as she readjusted her hold on the Heartstaff. She had been wandering the streets for an hour and hadn't seen Sora. She was tired, her muscles ached, and she was pretty sure she was lost.

"Ugh, why does this stuff keep happening to me?" Rin groaned. Something glowed out of the corner of her eye. Curious, Rin turned and found herself looking into the display window of a hat shop. "The Mad Hatter's wares," she murmured as she stared at a rather large hat with a card sticking out on the side. "Kairi would have had a blast trying on hats with me."

A pang of loneliness ran through her as she remembered that she had no idea where Kairi was. "I wish I knew what happened to her," she whispered. A scuffling sound from the alley caught her attention. Curious, she raised the Heartstaff in front of her body as she walked forward.

She cautiously peered around the corner only to have two bodies collide with her.

"Watch where you're going," a voice said. She looked up and gasped. A humanoid dog and duck were staring back at her.

"Uh…" Rin said as she tried to recover from shock.

"Beggin' your pardon, miss" The humanoid dog said as he took off his hat and grinned apologetically.

"It's okay," Rin said as she readjusted her hold on her staff.

"Let's go Goofy," The duck said as he raced down the alley. The dog, Goofy, quickly followed.

"Wonder what their rush is," Rin said as she readjusted her hold on the Heartstaff.

"Oh, dear," a voice said from beneath her.

Frowning, she looked down and saw a little cricket in a top hat fiddling with an umbrella.

"Um, hello," Rin said as she squatted.

The cricket looked up and smiled. "Why, hello there."

Rin yelped as she took a step back.

"Sorry, to startle you," the cricket said.

"Great," Rin muttered as she crouched. "More talking animals."

"I'm Jiminy Cricket," he said as he took off his top hat and bowed. "And you are?"

"Uh, Rin," she held out her index finger and he shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you," Jiminy said as he glanced down the alley. "Though I wish it were under different circumstances."

Rin sighed. She really wanted to go find Sora but she felt bad leaving Jiminy by himself. It would take forever to find them at his size. "Hey," Rin said, "if you want, I can help you find your friends."

Jiminy grinned. "Oh thank you so much! I really do appreciate it." He shoveled his foot. "Uh, do you mind if I sit on your shoulder? It will be a little hard to keep up."

"Sure," Rin said hoping he didn't notice her wince. She wasn't a big fan of insects. She lifted him up anyway and set him on her shoulder.

Jiminy settled on her shoulder and looked around. "Nice very nice. When I was on Goofy, I always felt as if I was going to fall off."

"Glad you're enjoying yourself." Rin said. "Now where exactly are we going?"

"To the third district," Jiminy said.

* * *

While they walked over, Jiminy told Rin of how they got to Traverse Town.

"So it seems like a lot of people here come from other worlds," Rin mused.

Jiminy cocked his head. "So, you come from another world as well?"

Rin nodded. "Though in my world, we don't have kings."

"And that staff you're holding," Jiminy said as he pointed at the Heartstaff with emphasis. "Did it come from your world as well?"

Rin glanced at it. "You know, I'm not really sure. It just appeared one day and I felt compelled to carry it around since." She grinned sheepishly. "Kind of a stupid reason, huh?"

Jiminy's eyes had a far off look in them. "Hm, interesting."

Before she could question him, the doors to the third district opened up for them and they were greeted by a strange sight.

Goofy and the duck, the two who had bumped into them before, were dog piled on top of a young boy with a very familiar mop of brown hair.

"Sora?" Rin asked, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Sora looked at her in surprise. "Rin?"

Goofy grinned as he pointed to the duck. "Donald."

Donald glared at him and tried to swipe at his head. "Goofy, cut it out."

"Gawrsh," Goofy said as he stood up. "I thought we were just introducing everyone."

"But you weren't on the island…" Sora said as he stood up and walked toward her.

"I figured you guys would try to protect the raft so I followed after you," Rin said. "You weren't the only one who was surprised."

"Jiminy," Goofy said. "What are you doing on that girl's shoulder?"

Jiminy crossed his arms. "You two left me back in the alley."

They both grinned sheepishly.

Glancing at Sora, she noticed he had a look of disappointment on his face. Knowing what he was thinking, she couldn't help but feel slightly hurt. "You were hoping the girl running around Traverse Town was Kairi, didn't you?"

"What?" Sora immediately shook his head as he held his hands up. "No, no, no, of course not."

Rin raised an eyebrow and Sora's shoulders sagged. "Okay, maybe a little."

"I hate to break up your reunion," Donald said, though Rin could tell that he didn't really care. "But you have something we really need." He pointed to Sora's hand. "That key."

Glancing down at Sora's hand, Rin noticed a key shaped sword. _What an odd looking sword, _Rin thought.

Sora frowned as he slowly moved the sword behind his back. "There is no way I'm giving you the Keyblade. It's the only thing I can protect myself with from the Heartless."

"Heartless?" Rin asked.

"They're the creatures running around town," Goofy said. "Haven't you seen them?"

Rin shook her head. "No, I guess I've been lucky."

The ground shook as something landed to the right of them. Rin turned towards it, and her eyes widened.

A giant purple and black armor suit stood before them. Two yellow eyes peered from within the helmet and a strange heart like insignia was inscribed on the chest plate.

"Or maybe not," Rin said, her voice notably up an octave.

"Split up," Sora yelled as a giant arm slashed at them.

Rin rolled to the side with Jiminy clinging on for dear life. Backing up into the corner, she saw Sora slashing at the armor's head while Goofy swung his shield at the creature's feet. After a couple of swipes, Sora knocked the head off.

Rin felt relieved when the armor came crashing down. It soon turned to horror when the different pieces of armor began to move on their own accord. "What is that thing?" Rin murmured as she brought the Heartstaff closer to her chest.

"What are you doing?" Donald quacked as he raised his staff in the air. Moments later a bolt of lightning hit the armor's foot. "Cast some magic."

"I don't know magic," Rin yelled.

The foot suddenly swiveled and started hopping in her direction. It would have been comical if it weren't trying to squash her. As it drew closer, Rin smacked the foot with the Heartstaff. It seemed stunned for only a second before charging towards her once again.

"Great," Rin muttered as she took off running. "It targeting the weakest link, me."

As she kept running, the foot drew closer and closer. It was almost on top of her when it suddenly vanished. Off in the distance, she saw Sora pulling back his sword as a strange glowing heart materialized from the creature's chest plate.

A hand on her arm caused her to whirl around, the Heartstaff poised in her hands.

"Don't be afraid," A brunette haired girl wearing braids said. "My name's Aerith. I'm a friend of your friends."

Glancing behind Aerith, she noticed a man and a young girl dressed as a ninja.

"Looks like Sora found his friend after all," the girl said.

"Sort of," Rin said, refusing to put the staff down just yet.

"Leon, Yuffie," Sora said as he, Donald, and Goofy came running towards them. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure that you all met," Leon said.

Sora looked at them in surprise. "These were the people you were talking about?"

Rin stood to the side completly confused. Who were these people and how did Sora even know them?

"That's what we were trying to explain before that Heartless attacked," Donald said as he tapped his foot.

Rin got the feeling that Donald tended to lose his patience easily.

"Hey," Goofy said with a laugh. "Why don't you two come with us? You can see other worlds in our vessel?"

"I wonder if we could find Riku and Kairi," Sora said as he turned towards Rin.

"They could have landed on other worlds," Rin added. She glared when she saw Goofy and Donald whispering to each other before putting on fake smiles. "Though I don't know if you can't trust them."

"Go with them," Leon said. "Especially if you want to find your friends."

From the way that Sora was looking at Leon, she got the feeling that he trusted him.

Sora sighed "I guess..."

Donald grinned. "But you can't come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad faces. Okay?

"Yeah, you have gotta look funny like us!" Goofy said cheerfully as he pointed to him and Donald.

Donald frowned and casually pushed Goofy aside before he continued. "This boat runs on happy faces!"

Sora hung his head. "Happy? Hmmm." He lifted his head and smiled the cheesiest smile he could think of.

They stood staring at him for a few moments then burst out laughing.

"That's one funny face!" Donald laughed.

"Okay, why not, I'll go with you guys." Sora said. He noticed that Rin hadn't spoken in a while so he turned to her. "Rin…"

"No," she said.

Everyone turned to her in surprise.

"Huh?" Goofy as he scratched his head in confusion.

"I'm not going," Rin said as she stepped back.

"But Rin," Sora began.

Rin rubbed her arm. "I'm not cut out for this. Fighting Heartless, saving the world. I..can't… I can't do that."

"Our friend owns the hotel in the second district," Aerith said. "It is where you will be staying tonight. She's more than welcome to stay there until you return."

"That's fine," Rin mumbled refusing to look anyone in the eye.

Sora frowned before returning his attention back to Donald and Goofy.

"Rin," Jiminy said with concern but she ignored him.

Because in her head, she saw the strange man in the hooded mask whispering over and over. "This isn't your part."

"_I'm no hero,"_ Rin thought. _"Sora's the one who's supposed to be."_

* * *

L.A.: And that's the end of this chapter. You know what to do, READ and REVIEW!


	5. Decision

The Decision

* * *

L.A.: So here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Malificent hated meetings. The other members were useless. Instead of being productive, they spent the entire meeting babbling about the boy with the keyblade. Granted, he was a threat but instead of complaining, they should have been coming up with a solution.

Maleficent sighed as she gazed into her crystal ball. An image swirled into place showing the boy and his new companions. They seemed so ignorant and silly. She gave a slight laugh. They almost weren't worth the effort to destroy... almost.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the click of claws on stone from behind her. Maleficent didn't need to turn around to know who it was "Where have you been?"

"I had business elsewhere, my liege" the voice replied. The voice was young and had a slight growl to it.

Though Maleficent knew he was eluding the question, she decided to not pester him. She had more important matters to discuss. She turned around and was greeted by a pair of red eyes glowing from the darkness. Like most heartless, he did not like to leave the shadows unless he had to. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough, I heard your conversation with the others," the voice replied.

"And what do you think of the new Keyblade master?" Maleficent asked.

"Just a little boy with a new toy" he replied.

Maleficent smiled, pleased to hear her thoughts confirmed. She slowly turned around and frowned at the crystal ball. "That maybe so but if he learns to master the keyblade, then my plans could be ruined." She paused as she watched the girl in the crystal ball. She stood off to the side looking miserable. "Do you know anything about the girl?"

"I... do not my liege" the heartless replied.

Maleficent heard the hesitancy in his voice. She whipped around and faced the heartless. "Is there something you are not telling me?"

"You know that I live to serve you my liege," the heartless replied.

Maleficent laughed. "Live to serve me? Ha. I know that if you weren't bound to our deal then you would have left a long time ago."

The heartless was silent for a few moments. "If I can take my leave, my liege. I feel a little tired and need to rest." He began to walk away.

_Since when does a heartless need rest? _Maleficent thought to herself.

"This wouldn't have to do with that promise you made now would it?" Maleficent called.

The heartless did not reply as he continued to walk away.

Maleficent grinned as she turned back to her crystal ball. "Yes... I do believe this has everything to do with that promise..."

* * *

Rin brought her knees to her chest as she gazed out the window. Shortly after meeting Leon and the others, they were brought to the hotel in the second district to rest.

She had a room to herself. It was blue in color and simple in design. She could hear Sora and the others in the other room discussing their plans for the next day. Rin had excused herself early saying she was sleepy. Of course this was completely, untrue but she just didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment.

"Um, hello."

Rin looked to her bedside table and saw Jiminy sitting there. So much for alone time.

"They were playing some odd game that I really didn't want to be a part of. Do you mind if I join you?"

Rin shook her head. "No, not at all."

"Excellent," Jiminy pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. "This will give me time to write in my journal."

"You're keeping a journal?" Rin asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm going to chronicle our adventures," Jiminy said. "You always need a chronicler when you set out on an adventure."

"Oh," Rin said, returning her gaze to her feet.

Jiminy eyed her before saying. "Why do you not want to come with us? You don't seem like the type to turn down an offer to search for your friends."

She knew this question was coming and as she looked back at Jiminy's serious expression, she knew he wouldn't let her ignore his question.

"I'm useless," she muttered into her knees. "I can't even work a magic staff."

To her surprise, Jiminy laughed. "Oh that? That isn't something to worry about. Magic never comes easy. Why Pinocchio…" Sadness flitted across his features before he regained his composure. "…He was brought to life by the Blue Fairy; but, in order to become a real boy, he must find the solution himself."

"I don't know," Rin said. "I think Sora and others can get along fine without me."

"Magic takes patience and determination," Jiminy said. "I think you have both."

"I think you're just saying that because my shoulder is a good place for you to sit." Rin said with a grin.

Jiminy chuckled.

They were silent for a few minutes. The only sounds were the muffled conversation in the other room and the scribbling of Jiminy's pencil.

Jiminy let out a yawn as he shut his journal. "Well, I think I'll be off to bed now. We've got an early start." He hopped off the bed table and headed towards the door.

"Alright, good night," Rin said.

"Good night," Jiminy paused at the door. "And Rin?"

Rin glanced up at him. "Yeah?"

"I don't just think you're just a good look out post. I believe we were all brought together for a reason. And, I believe that you have just an important part as any of us as long as you believe in yourself."

Jiminy turned and exited the room, leaving Rin to her thoughts.

* * *

_Rin opened her eyes. A bright light was shining down on her while everything else was shrouded in darkness. Another light shined down in front of her revealing Kairi bound to a chair and gagged. Her head was lolled to the side as if she were unconscious._

"_Kairi!" Rin yelled as she raced forward. She fiddled with the bonds around Kairi. They felt cold and slimy in her hands. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination; but they almost felt alive. She tugged as hard as she could but they wouldn't budge._

"_Hang on Kairi," Rin said as she squinted at the darkness that surrounded them. "There's got to be something here I can use." She gasped when the Heartstaff suddenly materialized in her left hand. Unsure of what to do, she touched it to Kairi's binds. The stone in the center of the staff glowed as the binds disappeared. _

_Pleased with her luck, Rin quickly moved to the front of Kairi and bent down to see if Kairi was alright. "Kairi?"_

_Kairi's eyes snapped open and she suddenly changed into Riku. Rin's eyes widened in surprise as Riku stood up. Before she could react, Riku shoved her, sending her backwards. As she fell, someone grabbed her and pulled her to their chest. She glanced up and was startled to see Sora staring out at Riku. He put his hand out in front of Rin and the Keyblade materialized in his hand. _

"_What's going on?" Rin asked._

"_This isn't your part," Riku said, his voice lacking emotion. "You cannot help them." A sword materialized in his hands. _

_Sora's eyes narrowed as he pushed Rin behind him. Sora and Riku stared at each other for a second before they charged at each other. _

"_No!" Rin said as she reached out to them. "Don't fight."_

"_Why should you care?" Sora asked as the Keyblade clashed against Riku's sword with a loud clang. "You're not even going to try and help me find them."_

"_No," Rin said as tears streamed down her cheeks. "No… I-It's not that. I'm just useless. I'll get in the way."_

_She felt a hand on her shoulder and whirled around. Kairi was standing there. Her eyes sad but gentle. "That's not true. I know you can help us. You can help all of us."_

_Even though a part of Rin's consciousness was telling her that everything she was seeing was a dream, that same part of her was telling her that this Kairi was different from the other dream figurines. It was almost as if she were the real one._

"_Kairi?" Rin said._

"_Don't let Sora go alone," Kairi whispered. "He needs you."_

_Sora's and Riku's sword clashed again, this time louder._

* * *

Rin woke up gasping. It took her a moment before she remembered where she was. She couldn't hear anyone in the other room so she guessed that they had already headed to the first district.

"What a weird dream," Rin thought as her hand gripped her sheets. She frowned as she felt something hard and cold in her left hand. The Heartstaff lay innocently beside her as if it had been there the entire time.

"_Don't let Sora go alone. He needs you."_

Kairi's words echoed through her head. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how stupid she had been. What kind of friend wouldn't try everything they could to find their lost friends? Lousy one that's what. So, she didn't know how to use magic. Well, she would learn it while she tried to find the others.

"I've been such an idiot." Rin said as she sprang out of bed. Luckily she had laid out her clothes the night before and been too upset to unpack anything else. It took her five minutes to change clothes, grab her things, and head out to the first district. "Please don't let them be gone already."

* * *

As she entered the first district, she was relieved to hear a familiar voice proclaim. "This is our Gummy Ship." If Donald was still there then she had made it in time.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Sora scratching his head as he said. "Why does look like as if it were made up of a bunch of blocks?"

Glancing at the ship, Rin could see where Sora would get that idea. It was mostly red and yellow with a sharp cube-like design. From its outward appearance, it looked like it barely had room for two people.

"What?" Donald quacked. "This ship is one of the best vessels to navigate between worlds. It's not just a bunch blocks."

Goofy spotted Rin and waved. "Hiya Rin! Come to say goodbye?"

Rin shook her head and said. "Nope, I've come to tag a long on for the ride."

"Really?" Sora said with a grin.

"We don't have room," Donald said as he crossed his arms.

Goofy looked confused. "But, I thought we had plenty of room."

"Be quiet you big palooka," Donald whispered.

"I'm going," Rin said.

Donald shook his head. "No, you're not."

"Yes, she is," Sora said surprising everyone.

"What?" Donald said.

"I'm going on this adventure to find my friends," Sora said. "I know that Rin wants to find them as well. So, if you want to me to come with you then Rin has to come." He shot Rin a reassuring grin.

Rin mouthed thanks.

Donald let out a loud sigh. "Fine."

"Well, well, what have we got here," said a voice behind them. Yuffie was grinning as Leon, Aerith, and Cid approached.

"I'm going with them," Rin said.

Donald muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.

"Well here," Cid said as he tossed something to her. "You'll need this."

Rin caught it and grinned. It was the leather holder for her staff. She slipped it over her shoulder and the Heartstafffit perfectly. "How much do I owe you?"

Cid waved her off. "This one's on the house."

Yuffie grinned evily. "Aw, Cid's grown soft."

"Have not," Cid growled. "That's the only freebie she's getting."

They all quickly said their goodbyes. As they did, Rin felt a tap on her ankle. She grinned at Jiminy. "Need a lift?"

"Most certainly," Jiminy said.

She scooped him up and place him on her shoulder.

He wiggled around for a moment before settling in. "Yes, yes, just as good as I rememberd it."

"Why do I get the feeling you aren't surprised I'm here?" Rin asked.

He laughed.

* * *

L.A.: And that's the end of that chapter. You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	6. Down the Rabbit Hole

Down the Rabbit Hole

* * *

L.A.: And here is the next chapter.

* * *

"Not enough room, huh?" Rin said.

The gummi ship was deceiving from the outside. It had a rather large cockpit, nice upholstery seats, and a spacious back room for sleeping.

Donald laughed sheepishly.

"This is so cool," Sora said as he jumped into a chair. Swiveling back and forth he said, "so, do I get to drive?"

"Absolutely not," Donald said. "I'm the only one who can drive." He sat down next to Sora while Rin and Goofy took seats behind them. "Chip, how's the ship?"

To her surprise, two chipmunks scurried up onto the dashboard.

"We've checked the engine and it looks good," one of the chipmunks said. Seeing Rin's and Sora's startled expressions, the chipmunk said. "I'm Chip and he's Dale." He motioned to the chipmunk beside him who grinned. "We're the mechanics for this gummi."

"Pleasure to meet you," Rin said.

"Okay," Donald quaked. "Enough with the chit chat, let's go!"

The engine gunned to life as the ship lurched forward. With a sudden acceleration, the ship leapt up into the sky.

Rin pressed her face to the window, as she watched the twinkling lights of Traverse Town fade away only to be replaced by the stars. It was probably the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

"I guess you two have never seen the stars from up here," Goofy said.

Rin blushed as she pulled away from the window. To her relief, Sora had been doing the exact same thing.

"All we've ever known is the island," Sora said. "So this is all new to us."

Rin nodded. "Trust me, if someone had told me a couple of years ago that I would be flying in a spaceship when I was fourteen, I would have thought they were crazy."

"It's not a space ship," Donald said. "It's a gummi ship. Gummi ships are better."

"Sorry, _gummi_ ship," Rin said as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Where are we going anyway?"

"There's a world nearby called Wonderland," Donald said as he glanced at a screen to his right. "We might as well start there."

* * *

Rin wasn't really sure how it happened; but, before she knew it, they were falling. The world they had landed on had a huge gaping hole in it. When they opened the door to look at the hole, a wind shook the gummi ship sending them tumbling down the hole.

For a few minutes, they were all in denial. Donald was grumbling that they were doomed, Goofy and Sora were yelling in fear, and Rin was frozen with her face slowly turning white.

After a while, when they weren't slowing down and the end was nowhere in sight, they soon became calm...then they became bored.

"Is this a bottomless pit?" Rin asked. Her answer was her voice echoing back.

Goofy snored slightly as he drifted off to sleep. Sora and Donald had taken up playing rock, paper, scissors.

"Ha, I win! Scissors beats paper every time," Sora said with a grin.

"What do you mean you win? You did rock and scissors at the same time," Donald said.

"How would you know? I can barely see my hand in from of my face."

Rin sighed as she glanced down. A light was slowly approaching them. "Um, guys," Rin said. "I think we're about to stop."

As they passed through the light, Sora, Donald, and Rin landed on their feet. Goofy, on the other hand, fell to the ground with a loud thump, jolting him awake.

"What happened?" Goofy moaned.

"We landed," Rin helped Goofy up. "Where we landed though I do not know."

"I think we are in some kind of room," Sora said.

Rin looked around the room. It was circular and pink reminding her of a dollhouse.

"Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" A voice said, causing everyone to start.

From out of nowhere, a white rabbit hurried past them. He was clothed like a nobleman and was nervously glancing at the pocket watch he held in his paw.

"Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear! I'm here and I should be there." He glanced at his pocket watch again and started hopping faster. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! The queen, she'll have my head for sure." Without even looking at the group, he ran through the door that materialized in front of them.

The quartet stood in silence for a few moments.

"Huh," Rin said with a frown. "I guess Sora's and mine's world's the only one that doesn't have talking animals."

"Should we follow him?" Goofy asked.

Sora glanced around the room." Well, there are no other exits so I guess we have to follow him. Besides, it sounds like he may need our help."

The group entered in just in time to see the white rabbit exit through a wooden door with a big brass doorknob.

Rin quickly took in her surroundings. Black and white tile covered the floor contrasted greatly to the vibrant multi-colored walls. In the center of the room was a small table with two chairs. To the right of the table was a flowerpot and to the left was a small bed.

As they approached the door, they began to realize that the door was a lot smaller than they thought it was originally. In fact, it was so small that even the white rabbit shouldn't have been able to go through it.

Sora leaned forward curiously. "How did he get so small?"

"No, no you're just simply too big," the doorknob said.

All four stared with their mouths open in shock. Rin was so surprised that she accidently ran into the bed causing it to slide into the wall.

As they looked closer, they could see the shape of a face on the doorknob.

"It talks!" Donald quacked in disbelief.

"Oh," Rin said with relief. "Glad to see that I'm not the only one who's surprised by talking inanimate objects."

The doorknob groaned. "Must you be so loud? You woke me up."

"Well then, good morning," Goofy said cheerfully.

The doorknob yawned. "Good night. I need a bit more sleep."

"Wait, what do we have to do to be small?" Sora asked.

"Why don't you try the bottle...over there?" the doorknob said as he closed his eyes and began to snore.

" A bottle," Sora said they turned around. A little blue bottle sat on the table.

"That wasn't there before," Sora said, "right?"

"I don't think so," Rin said.

Sora picked up the bottle and examined it. "Do you think it will work?"

Donald, Goofy, and Rin shrugged.

"Well, there is one way of finding out. Bottom's up!" He took a gulp from the bottle.

"Whoa," Rin said as she stared down at him.

"You're like a doll," Goofy said, causing Rin to giggle.

"Ha, ha," Sora said as he crossed his arms. "Hurry up and drink it as well."

They did as they were told. Once they were small, they saw that an opening was in the corner.

" Hey, look, it seems that Rin's lack of coordination paid off. There is a hole over there to the outside," Donald said pointing to where the bed used to be.

"Hey yeah you're ri... Wait a second," she glared at him. "Take that back."

"Or what?" Donald smirked.

"Or I'll..."

"Um, guys, I hate to interrupt you; but, I thought you would like to know that Sora is leaving us," Goofy said.

"What?" Donald said.

Sure enough, Sora was already half way to the hole in the wall.

"Sora, wait!" Rin yelled as she and the others ran to catch up with him.

* * *

"Well, this is a change of scenery," Donald said.

As soon as they left the room, they found themselves in the middle of a beautiful garden maze.

"I love gardens," Rin said. "They're always so pretty."

"Hey, doesn't that look like the white rabbit up ahead?" Sora asked.

A strange meeting was being held before them at the end of the maze.

"Yeah, it kind of looks like they are having some sort of trial," Rin said.

The white rabbit stood on a podium in the middle of the garden. Beside him in the judge's seat was a woman with black hair swept up in a bun. She wore a red dress and a crown on her head. Facing them in the defendant's stand was a young girl with blond hair and blue eyes. Strange card shape guards stood at attention on each side.

Sora glanced at Rin. "You want to investigate?"

Rin nodded. "Of course."

As they walked closer, she thought she heard Donald sigh.

The white rabbit cleared his throat and held a parchment out in front of him. "Court is now in session."

The young girl frowned. "I'm on trial? But why?"

"Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding." The rabbit said as he flattened his parchment.

"The girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it," the queen said as she brandished her scepter. " And the reason is...because I say so, that's why."

The young girl put her hands on her hips. "But, that's unfair."

"This doesn't make any sense," Rin said.

"Shh!" Donald said.

"Well, it doesn't," Rin said sarcastically.

"Have you anything to say in your defense?" The queen said as she glared down at the young girl.

The girl nodded. "Of course. I've done absolutely nothing wrong." She put her hands on her hips. "You may be queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so...so mean."

The queen stared at the young girl with a look of both surprise and rage. "Silence, you dare to defy me?"

Sora turned to the group. "Hey, guys, we should help her out."

"We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?" Goofy asked.

"Meddling, " Donald said.

"Oh, yeah, right. And that's against the rules" Goofy said.

"As much as I hate to say this, I have to agree with Donald and Goofy," Rin said. "We don't know anything about this world. Plus, we should be looking for Kairi and Riku."

"Yeah," Sora said as his shoulders sagged. "Okay." He still didn't look happy about it.

Their discussion was interrupted by the sound of the queen's voice. "The court finds the defendant...guilty as charged. For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart...Off with her head!"

The cards began to advance towards the girl who backed away horrified.

"No, no, oh, please," Alice said as her eyes started to tear up.

"Hold it right there," Sora said as he ran towards the court.

"Sora!" Rin hissed. "Get back here."

He ignored them as he continued to approach the court. She shrugged at Goofy and Donald before they joined Sora.

The queen placed a hand on her chest. "Who are you? How dare you interfere with my court?"

"Excuse me, your majesty, but we know who the real culprit is!" Sora said.

Rin frowned. "We do?"

"Yeah it's the heartle..." Goofy covered his hands with his mouth before he finished the sentence.

"Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for," Sora said.

"That's nonsense. Have you any proof?" the queen asked. She smirked at the panicked look on all four faces.

She motioned the guards and they took the young girl and locked her in a cage. "Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence," the queen said. "Fail and it's off with all of your heads. Gather as much or little evidence as you please. Report back here once you're ready."

"Thank you your majesty," they said as they took their leave.

"Great going Sora. Now look what you've got us into," Donald muttered angrily.

Sora ignored him as they approached the young girl. "Are you alright?"

The young girl grinned. "Yes, thank you for helping me. My name is Alice."

"Hi my name is Rin, the boy next to me is Sora, the grumpy duck is Donald, and the dog is Goofy," Rin said.

"I'm not grumpy..." Donald grumbled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Alice said.

"Can you tell us what is going on around here?" Sora asked.

"I am not exactly sure myself, but I do believe there is something in that forest that has caused all this mess." Alice said as she pointed to an opening in the hedge on the other side of the courtyard.

"Hey, no talking to prisoners," an Ace of Spades said as he poked them with his spear.

"We're going," Rin said as the four headed for the forest entrance.

"Don't worry, Alice, we'll clear your name," Sora called over his shoulder.

Alice smiled.

* * *

The forest they entered was filled with tall grass, mushrooms, and flowers. They stood in awe for a few moments before they decided to plan their course of action.

"So, where do you think we should look first?" Goofy asked.

"How about you try up, down, and all around" said an amused voice from behind them.

They whirled around to see the speaker. A huge cat with a big grin on his face stood on top of a big mushroom. He had dark and light pink horizontal stripes running up and down his body. The strangest thing about him wasn't his ability to talk but the fact that he was standing on his own head.

"Who are you?" Sora asked after he had recovered his voice.

"Who indeed," the cat said as he began to rock back and forth on top of his head. "Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head and she's not guilty of a thing."

"If you know who the culprit is, tell us." Donald said as he tapped his foot.

The cat's grin widened as he put his head back on his shoulders. " The Cheshire Cat has all the answers...but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness." The cat slowly began to dematerialize.

"Wait!" Sora called but the Cheshire Cat had already vanished.

"They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. A big reward if you find them all." The Cheshire's voice echoed.

"What does he mean by that?" Donald asked.

"I don't know but we need to…" Sora trailed off as he saw Rin. "Rin, are you okay?"

Rin had a strange look on her face. Her left eye and shoulders were twitching. "Cat...head...gone...maniacal grin...evil..."

"Um, Rin," Jiminy lightly tapped her cheek. "Please, snap out of it."

Rin shook her head and blushed. "Sorry, this is just a lot to take in."

"That's why you should have stayed in Traverse Town," Donald mumbled.

Rin's attention snapped towards him. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Donald said as he began to whistle.

Rin clinched her fists.

"Hey guys, look what I found," Goofy said as he leaned back on his haunches.

Sora, Donald, and Rin gathered around Goofy. In his hands was a long black antenna.

"Good job Goofy. Looks like you just found are first piece of evidence," Rin said.

"Gawrsh, it was nothing," Goofy said, his cheeks reddening slightly.

"Come on. Let's find those last three pieces of evidence," Sora said as they headed into the forest.

* * *

The next two pieces were easy to find; but, after an hour of searching, they still hadn't found the last piece. The group sighed as they headed back to the entrance for one more look around.

"Geez, where could it be," Sora said as he searched behind a rock.

"This is a waste of time," Donald said as he stomped his foot. "We should be looking for the king. Not for pieces of evidence."

"But what about Alice?" Goofy said as he peeked from behind a mushroom.

"We've already meddled enough," Donald said. "We should leave before we get in anymore trouble."

"We can't just abandon her," Sora said. "What they are doing is wrong. I can't let them do that." He turned and went to search around a flower.

Donald grumbled as he and Goofy went back to searching as well.

Rin cautiously approached Sora. By the way he was yanking away grass, she could tell he was angry. "Hey," she said as she squatted down beside him.

"Don't tell me you're going to complain as well," Sora said.

Rin shook her head. "Not at all." She picked up a piece of grass and twirled it around her finger. "Actually, I was going to say that I thought it was rather brave of you to stand up to the queen like that."

Sora's cheeks were tinged pink when he looked up at her. "Really?"

Rin nodded. "Yeah, I could never be so bold."

Sora shrugged. "I don't know. I've just always been this way. Riku used to call me the brave little idiot because I would always try to protect the weak guy even if I knew I'd lose." Sora laughed. "Sometimes I just act before I think."

Rin placed a hand on his shoulder. "Still, I think it's cool."

"Sora! Rin!" Goofy called. "Look out behind you!"

They both turned to see several heartless creeping towards them. Sora stood up and whipped out the Keyblade. "Man, I'm getting sick of these heartless."

"I know what you mean," Rin said as she pulled the Heartstaff from its holder.

A heartless lunged towards her forcing her to take a step back. To her surprise, her foot landed on nothing. With a yelp, Rin went tumbling backwards straight into a hole.

"Rin," Sora said as he lurched forward and reached for her outstretched hand. Their fingers grazed each other but missed.

Rin screamed as she fell further and further away from the opening, not knowing when or where she would stop.

* * *

L.A.: And now, I leave you with a cliffhanger. Maybe now, I will get some reviews.


	7. Searching for Lost Hearts

Searching for Lost Hearts

* * *

L.A.: Sorry for the long delay. School kept me really busy. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!

* * *

When Rin finally did land, instead of feeling agonizing pain, she bounced. She bounced several more times before skidding to a halt.

"Ow," Rin muttered as she stood up and rubbed her rear. "That wasn't fun."

"Are you hurt?" Jiminy asked curiously.

"Just my pride," Rin said as she looked around. "Are we back in the main room?"

Jiminy nodded. "I think so…"

"Um, Jiminy?" Rin cocked her head. From the corner of her eye, she could see Jiminy mirroring her expression. "Why is everything upside down?"

Everything from the tables to the flowerpots looked as if they were nailed to the ceiling.

"Are they upside down or are you?" a voice said behind them. Rin whirled around. Jiminy was barely able to cling to her shoulder.

The Cheshire Cat was laying on an upside down table defying the laws of gravity.

"Great, just great," Rin muttered as she put her hands on her hips. "What do you want?"

"Have you found the last piece of evidence?" The Cheshire Cat asked as he stretched.

"No," Rin said. "I was kind of busy falling down a hole."

"Maybe you've just been too busy looking down," The Cheshire Cat said as he inspected a claw.

Jiminy and Rin traded glances as they looked up. A pot was suspended above them. Upon closer examination, Rin noted that there was something in it.

"What is…" she yelped as something fell out of the pot. She dodged it. When she calmed down, she realized a black claw was lying on the ground.

"A heartless claw," Jiminy said.

"So, you've found the last one," The Cheshire Cat said as he appeared in front of her. "And as promised," he touched her forehead with his paw. A shiver ran down her spine. "Your reward."

Rin stepped away and glared at him. "What did you do?"

"You'll see," The Cheshire Cat said. "Just wave your staff and you'll know."

"If it's magic, I can't do it," Rin held up her staff as her shoulders slumped. "No matter what I try, I can't get it to work."

He floated towards her. "Magic doesn't come from the power of your strength but from the strength of your heart.

Rin looked at Jiminy who shrugged his shoulders before turning back to the Cheshire Cat. "What do you mean?"

"You'll figure it out," The Cheshire Cat said as he slowly faded away.

"Wait," Rin called. "Do you know how we can get back to our friends?" Jiminy and she looked around but could not see him anywhere.

"You'll find your friends soon as long as you head in the right direction," the Cheshire Cat said, his voice echoing through the room. A couple seconds later, she could no longer feel his presence.

"Any idea what that means?" Rin asked as she cut her eyes towards Jiminy.

Jiminy stroked his chin. "Well, it sounded like a riddle. So maybe by right direction he actually meant go right?"

Rin sighed. "Well, that's the only thing we have to go on. So, let's go." She slipped the Heartstaff into its holder.

* * *

"Rin! Where are you?" Goofy said through cupped hands.

They had been looking for Rin for a while and hadn't found any trace of her. They were all starting to feel the absence of the Heartstaff keeper. Donald was trying not to show it; but Sora did notice he was kicking the flowers and dirt a little harder than normal. Sora couldn't stop replaying the image of Rin falling down the hole. Her eyes were wide with fear and she seemed so helpless. If he had moved a second faster, he would have caught her in time. If he were better, then he could have protected his friends.

_If I were more like Riku…_ He quickly shook his head, horrified by the thoughts that ran through his mind. He took his hand and rubbed it across his face. _Can't lose my self confidence now. Then I'd be no help to anybody._

A chill ran through his body. He heard a yelp beside him and turned to see both Donald and Goofy shivering violently.

"You felt that too?" Sora asked as he unconsciously rubbed his arms.

"Yeah," Goofy said. "Gawrsh, what do you think caused it?"

"I don't know…" Donald said as he cast his gaze to the ground. "Let's get going."

* * *

They were beginning to lose hope.

"Rin! Come out! We're getting tired of looking for you," Donald said as he tapped his foot impatiently.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy!" Rin yelled.

The trio turned around to see Rin running towards them waving her hand excitedly.

"Rin!" they yelled as they raced towards her.

"We were so worried about you," Goofy said as he hugged her tightly.

"Yeah," Donald's grin quickly turned to a frown. "Though we've waste time now."

"It doesn't matter," Sora said, "since we know you're okay."

"And look how productive I've been." She pulled the heartless claw from her pocket. "It's the last piece of evidence we needed."

Donald's, Goofy's, and Sora's faces lit up.

"Great job Rin" Goofy said.

"Yeah, you're not a complete failure after all" Donald added with a grin.

"Anyway, the Cheshire Cat gave me a gift. Something to do with magic."

"So that explains it!" Donald said.

"Explains what?" Sora asked as the others turned to look at Donald curiously.

"The reason why we each experienced that chilly sensation back then. Since Rin learned the spell, it automatically passes to us as well."

"Gee, how come we can do that?" Goofy asked.

Donald frowned. "I'm not entirely sure. Even I don't know all there is to magic."

"Well, you found all four pieces. Nice going." The Cheshire Cat purred from behind them.

They jumped as they turned to face him.

Sora was the first to recover."Yep!" Sora said as he crossed his arms and grinned, "Now we will be able to save Alice for sure."

The Cheshire Cat stood up and wagged his claw, "Don't be so sure. She may be innocent, but what about you?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Rin asked with a frown.

The Cheshire Cat began to vanish. "I won't tell. But I suggest you remember your spells." And with that, he was gone.

"What do we do now?" Goofy asked.

"Why, save Alice of course." Sora said as he began to walk away.

"He's going to lead us to trouble." Donald grumbled.

* * *

"What do you want?" The guard said. The quartet had just entered the garden only to be greeted by an angry five of hearts.

"We're here to present the evidence that her majesty had requested," Sora said.

The guard let out a sigh. "Very well, step up to the podium."

"Somebody's in a bad mood" Rin murmured as Jiminy nodded in agreement.

They approached the queen. She was tapping her scepter against the podium. "Well, show me."

The quartet set their four pieces of evidence before the queen. Rin caught Alice's gaze who gave her a helpless grin.

The queen yawned. "My, that's a lot of evidence but I'm not impressed. Guards, bring forth my evidence!"

A jack of spades brought forth the queen's evidence.

A grin appeared on the queen's face. She snapped her fingers and guards scurried further. "Hmm, checking all five would only be a waste of time. All right then, choose the one you wish to present. I'll decide who's guilty based on that evidence."

When the guards stepped away from the evidence, wrapped presents were in their place making it impossible to guess which was which.

"What?" Donald stomped his foot.

"After all the trouble of collecting them?" Sora asked.

The queen frowned. "You dare object? Then you will lose your head." When she noticed that they were silent, she said with a satisfied smile, "now, choose."

They all looked back down at the pieces of evidence.

"What do they think this is, Christmas?" Donald murmured.

"It's Christmas already?" Goofy asked, his eyes filled with hope.

"Well, there is a one in five chance that we will pick the right one…" Rin said.

Donald, Goofy, and Rin turned to look at Sora.

Sora's eyes widened as he quickly put his hands up in defense. "Oh no! I'm not picking. I'm horrible at these games. Rin, you pick."

Donald, Sora, and Goofy turned to look at Rin.

"What?" Rin said.

"Yeah, you'll do great," Sora and Donald pushed her towards the presents.

"Just don't mess up!" Donald added as both Sora and he quickly ran back to where they originally stood.

"Yeah, not happening," Rin said. "I'm not the chosen hero here."

"Come on," Sora said, reminding Rin of a five-year-old. "I've always lost at guessing games."

"How bout we pick this one," Goofy said as he picked up a present. Donald, Sora, and Rin stood frozen in place.

The present shook and burst open revealing a heartless shoulder. The queen screamed as the heartless vanished right in front of them.

"What in the world was that?" The queen screamed.

Sora took a step forward, a smirk on his face. "There's your evidence. Alice is innocent."

Alice smiled.

The Queen's face turned bright red. "Rrrgh…silence! I'm the law here. Article 29: Anyone who defies the queen is guilty." She pointed to the quartet. "And you have defied me."

"That's crazy," Donald said as he threw his arms in the air.

The queen pointed at them. "Guards, seize them at once!"

"Oh, boy…" Rin groaned as she, Sora, Donald, and Goofy slowly backed away from the approaching guards. An ace of diamonds raised Alice's cage high in the air via a crank tower that had risen from the ground.

Donald attacked the grumpy Jack of Spades from before with multiple blizzard attacks. Goofy and Sora took down a couple more guards with their weapons.

Rin aimed her staff at the guard praying magic would appear. Nothing happened. At the last second, she dodged his swipe and wacked him with her staff.

The queen jumped up and down as she clenched her fists. "Cards, if they touch the tower, you'll lose your heads."

Rin paused as she turned towards her right. A tower was in the middle of the battleground. "That definitely wasn't there before."

"Nobody's notice you," Jiminy said still clinging to her shoulder after everything that had happened. "Why don't you try attacking the tower?"

Rin nodded as she zigzagged through the guards. Once she reached the tower, she brought the Heartstaff back as if it were a baseball bat and whacked the tower as hard as she could. The tower groaned.

"Um, Rin," Jiminy said. "I'd hate to be a backseat driver but why don't you try magic again."

"Screw…" She hit the tower again with a whack. "…magic" Whack! "I'm doing this…" Whack! "…the old fashion…" Whack! "..way!" She hit it one last time and the tower gave a loud groan before crashing to the ground.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she saw that Sora, Donald, and Goofy had finished off the rest of the guards.

Sora held the Keyblade up to one of the guards and motioned to Alice's cage. "Now, lower her back down."

The card grumbled but did as he was told. When the cage reached the ground, the quartet was shocked at what they saw.

"Gawrsh, she's gone," Goofy said.

"What have you done with her?" Sora turned towards the queen.

She placed a hand on her chest as her eyes widened. "I didn't do anything."

"She must've gotten kidnapped while we were fighting," Donald said.

The queen snapped her head towards her guards. "You fools, find the one who's behind this at once. I don't care how, just do it!"

The cards scrambled around the garden, running into each other as they searched for the prisoner.

"Gawrsh, poor Alice" Goofy said.

"Yes, poor, poor, Alice" said a familiar voice from behind them.

The quartet whirled around to see the Cheshire Cat perched on top of a hedge.

"Have you seen Alice?" Rin asked.

The Cheshire Cat scratched his head as he smiled mischievously. "Alice, no. Shadows, yes!"

"Where did they go?" Goofy asked.

The Cheshire Cat pointed his hands in opposite directions. "This way? That way? Does it matter? Left, right, up, down. All mixed up thanks to the shadows."

His body disappeared leaving only his grin. "They attacked some poor flowers. Who knows, they may go after that door knob, too." And with that, he vanished.

"What did he mean by that?" Goofy asked.

Rin sighed. "My guess? I think he wants us to go see the door knob."

"Why?" Donald asked.

Rin held her hands up. "How should I know? This world doesn't make any sense to me."

"Come on guys, let's go," Sora said. "It's the only lead we have."

When they arrived in the room, they found it completely deserted. Except for the doorknob's snoring, everything was quiet.

"Well, where are the heartless?" Donald said as he craned his neck to look up at the table.

"You'll have a better view from higher up," the Cheshire Cat said from his perch on top of the table.

"I hate it when he appears like that," Rin muttered as she followed the others up the table leg.

After they had reached the top, they were out of breath.

"Phewy," Donald said as he leaned on his arms. "What was the point to this?" I don't see anything."

Sora held out his hand and pulled Rin up the rest of the way as Goofy scanned the area.

"Gawrsh, it's sure is high here," Goofy said.

"The shadows should be here soon. Are you prepared for the worse?" The Cheshire Cat grinned. "If not, too bad!" He laughed as he vanished.

The room shook as a giant totem pole like monster appeared. It had gangly limbs and in its hands, it held juggling pins.

"What…is that?" Rin said as she pointed her finger at the monster in horror.

"I think that's a heartless," Sora said. The heartless cocked its head at them as it juggled its pins.

"Heh," Donald balanced his staff on his shoulder. "Heartless can come in many forms, big and small."

The heartless let out a strange sound, almost like a giggle, sending shivers down Rin's spine. It lurched forward, sending a pin hurling in their direction. The four hurled themselves off the table.

As Rin fell towards the ground, she braced herself for pain. Once again, to her surprise, as she landed she bounced a couple of times. _This is one weird world._

The others soon gathered around her as they eyed the heartless. A pin materialized in its hand again. It shook its pins once, and they caught on fire.

"And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," Rin said as she slung the Heartstaff over her shoulder.

"Rin, you stay here and provide support," Sora said as his grip tightened on the Keyblade.

Goofy brought his shield up. "Let's do it for Alice!"

As the other three rushed towards the heartless, Rin stood back and watched. Her hands clinched the Heartstaff until her knuckles were white. She hated not helping; but, since she couldn't use magic, there wasn't much else she could do. It wasn't like she could run up and whack it with her staff. A 40 foot heartless would not take that too kindly.

"Don't worry, Rin," Jiminy said as he scribbled furiously in his journal. "Sora and the others will take care of it in no time."

"Yeah," Rin's gaze trailed to the ground. "I just wish I could help."

A loud yell startled the both of them. Rin looked up just in time to see Sora thrown across the room and slammed against a wall.

The heartless cackled as it raised its pin over its shoulder and walked towards Sora. Donald and Goofy had be thrown to the other side of the room and were slowly recovering from the shock. Rin's eyes widened as she saw Sora clutching his side, completely defenceless against the heartless.

Her body seemed to move on its own and suddenly she was standing in between Sora and the heartless. Her hands shook as she pointed the heartstaff at the heartless.

"Rin," Sora wheezed, "move. The heartless will get you."

"B-but you're hurt," Rin said.

The heartless raised a flaming pin above its head.

Rin closed her eyes, wishing just once she could cast a spell.

_I don't want to be useless. I want to protect my friends. I want to put out that flame!_

Suddenly from deep within herself, a word came and filled her mind. It was such a powerful feeling that she couldn't keep it contained. And so, the word came bursting from her mouth.

"Blizzard!" As soon as it was said, the stone in the Heartstaff glowed. Its little wings at the base of the topper flapped once before a stream of magic shot from the Heartstaff's gem. It hit the flaming pin and quickly froze it.

Rin's eyes widened as her hands shook. "I did it."

"Congrats Rin," Jiminy said excitedly. "You just performed magic."

While the Heartless was still stunned by the attack, Donald and Goofy charged towards it.

"Give this to Sora," Donald said as he hurled a bottle with glowing green liquid.

Rin caught it and looked at it confused.

"It's a potion," Jiminy said. "Quick, give it to Sora."

She handed it over to Sora. He took a swig and gagged slightly.

"It's gross," Sora said.

"Keep drinking," Jiminy said.

He groaned as he did as he was told. The more he drank, the wince on his face seemed to lessen. Gradually, he let go of his side and relaxed.

"That stuff is good," Sora said as he stood up and smiled at Rin. "Thanks for protecting me."

Rin blushed as she looked away. "No problem."

The Heartless roared startling them.

"Let's take this heartless down," Sora said. He jumped into the air and slashed the heartless right down the middle.

The heartless let out an agonizing scream before disappearing into the air. A glowing heart floated in the air for a second before disappearing.

The quartet let out a sigh of relief at the destruction of the heartless. They started when a voice called out to them.

"What a racket. How's a door knob to get any sleep?" The doorknob let out a huge yawn revealing a small keyhole. Upon seeing this, the Keyblade began to vibrate.

"Wha…What?" Sora said as the Keyblade forced him to point it strait at the keyhole. A beam of light shot out from the tip of the Keyblade into the keyhole. There was a sound of something locking inside the doorknob's mouth. The beam of light vanished when the doorknob closed his mouth and fell back to sleep. Sora stumbled slightly when he regained control of the Keyblade.

The quartet stared wide-eyed at the Keyblade for a moment.

"What was that?" Donald said finally breaking the silence.

Sora shook his head as he tilted the Keyblade from side to side. "Did you hear that? It sounded like something closed."

A clinking sound came from the doorknob causing them to look up. Laying on the ground in front of them was a little pink block.

"What is this?" Sora asked as he picked the block up.

Donald and Goofy huddled around him. "It looks like a Gummi block." Donald said.

"This Gummi piece sure isn't like the others though. No sir." Goofy added.

"I'll hold on to it" Donald said as he took the piece from Sora and put it in his pocket.

While Sora, Donald, and Goofy were huddled around their new discovery, Rin was having her discovery herself. As soon as the beam of light had vanished the Heartstaff had begun to vibrate. Huh?" Rin said as she looked down at the staff. It happened so fast that Rin wasn't sure if she had imagined it. The little white sphere in the center of the staff turned blue for a second before returning to its original white color. The staff stopped vibrating returning to its normal self. "That was weird," Rin muttered.

"What was weird?" Jiminy asked.

"I'll tell you later," Rin said. She felt something rubbed up against her leg. "Eeek!" Rin screamed as she jumped back a few feet. Her scream caused Sora, Donald, and Goofy to turn towards her. Looking back to see what had touched her, Rin found that it was, of course, the Cheshire Cat.

He sat back on his hind legs and grinned at them. "Splendid. You're quite the hero."

"Have you seen Alice?" Sora asked.

"If you're looking for Alice, she's not here. She's gone! Off with the shadows into the darkness." The Cheshire Cat disappeared before they could ask him anything.

Rin looked at Sora. He had his head down and his fists were clinched tightly. "I failed again," he muttered under his breath.

Rin put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

He looked at her. "But…"

"Sora, you tried," Rin said. "You defeated a giant heartless. Alice was probably already gone way before then."

"Remember. No sad faces!" Goofy added.

"We won't be able to do anything if you're sad," Donald said.

Sora smiled. "Yeah, you're right. It's not going to help anyone if I'm gloomy."

Goofy grinned. "Yep!"

Rin wasn't sure why, but she didn't fully trust Sora's sudden change in heart. She was pretty sure, that something else was bugging him. There was no point though, in asking someone something that they weren't willing to talk about.

Donald and Goofy each grabbed one of Sora arms. "Let's go back to our Gummi Ship. We might find her on another world." Donald said as he, Sora, and Goofy began to walk away.

"Uh guys?" Rin said causing them to stop and look back at her. "Just one thing... We fell down a hole to get here so how exactly do we get out?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy grinned sheepishly.

"Oh yeah," Sora said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "That could be a problem..."

* * *

L.A.: Now that is a good question. Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	8. Bonding

Bonding

* * *

L.A.: Just had to get this chapter out before exams out. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Rin yawned. She had dozed off for a few moments while they were flying in the Gummi Ship.

"Have a nice sleep, Rin?" Goofy asked.

Rin yawned. "Sort of. I had a weird dream."

"Did Rin wake up?" Sora called from the front seat.

"Yeah, I did," Rin said.

"Good, we're about to land in Traverse Town."

Rin had almost forgotten about that. After their adventures in Wonderland, they had agreed it would be best to rest up for a night in Traverse Town. Rin was relieved to hear the news. If any of the other worlds were like Wonderland, Rin would need a lot of rest to protect her sanity.

* * *

Rin popped her neck as she stepped out of the Gummy Ship. It felt good to be able to stretch again. The Gummy Ship might be big, but there weren't many opportunities to walk around in it.

"Well," Donald said. "Let's stock up on supplies. We leave tomorrow morning…and Rin, make sure you get there early."

Rin frowned. "Why?"

Donald crossed his arms and grinned. "Since you seem to be able to use magic, I'm going to teach you how to use it properly. Starting bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Are you serious?" Rin said.

"Get some shut eye." Donald said as he snickered.

* * *

"Why does Donald keep picking on me?" Rin asked as she collapsed on her bed. They were once again spending the night at the hotel in the 2nd District. Rin was beginning to think of it as their headquarters.

"I don't think he's picking on you," Jiminy said from his perch on her bedside table. He was furiously writing in his journal.

"Then how come he's only making me practice magic?" Rin asked.

Jiminy sighed as he put his pen down. "I only came to to their world recently but I think that magic users are rare there. The great socerer, Yen Sid, taught their king and the king taught Donald. I think Donald's never actually had an apprentice. Seeing how you can use magic, he's probably eager to share his skills."

"Huh," Rin said as she glanced at the Heartstaff. It was leaning against the wall where she had left it. After the incident in Wonderland, the Heartstaff had remained dormant. "It would be nice to learn more about the Heartstaff."

"That's the spirit," Jiminy said as he started writing again.

* * *

_Everything was dark. Rin wasn't sure how she got here or why she was here. As she stood wondering what she should do next, she heard voices singing from far away. Curious, she walked towards the sound._

_A T.V. appeared in front of her. The T.V. was displaying static. The voices soon came closer and she was able to understand them._

"_Hey there. Hi there. Ho there. You're as welcome as can be."_

_Rin frowned. Were the voices coming from the T.V.? She started to walk toward it. _

"_M-I-C…K-E-Y…"_

_The T.V. abruptly cut off._

_

* * *

_

Rin woke up with a start. It took her a moment to remember she was still in her hotel room. That song, it had seemed so familiar to her. Like a childhood memory.

"Who's Mickey?" Rin whispered. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. She felt sweaty and gross, so she decided to go outside for a bit of fresh air.

As she crept to her door, she saw Jiminy curled up asleep in a shoebox bed. He had a frown on his face. "Pinnochio…" Jiminy mumbled as he turned over in his sleep.

_I wonder who Pinnochio is, _she thought as she slipped out of her room.

As she stepped outside, she realized she wasn't alone. Someone was standing on the fence gazing out at the 2nd district. She wasn't worried. There was only one person who had spikey hair.

"Hey Sora," Rin said as she walked towards him. "Mind if I join you?"

Sora grinned at her. "Sure." As she came to stand beside him, he said. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I needed some fresh air," Rin said. "I think Wonderland freaked me out a bit. What about you?"

"Just couldn't sleep." Sora said. "I've got a lot on my mind."

"It's got to be hard. Being the Keybearer," Rin said.

Sora sighed. "It's a lot to take in."

"Having to travel to each world and defeat the heartless has got to be tough," Rin added as she inspected her nails.

"I mean, how do they expect me to be heroic? I'm just a kid…" Sora's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. "Heh," He grinned sheepishly.

"You shouldn't keep things bottled up." Rin turned her attention back to the 2nd district. "If we are going to go on this journey, we need to be able to talk to each other. This isn't something that one of us is supposed to handle on his own." She turned back to him. "Not when you have other people to talk to."

They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"Hey Rin," Sora said. "I'm sorry."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry, I never got to know you back on Destiny Isles." Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "You're real nice."

"Well, it's not your entire fault," Rin said. "I didn't make much of an effort either." Her eyes lit up as a thought occurred to her. She abruptly turned to face him. "Let's start over then." She held out her hand. "Hello, my name is Rin. And, you are?"

Sora laughed as he took her hand and shook it. "I'm Sora. It's nice to meet you."

Rin placed her hands on her hips. "Now, we need to do something to seal our new friendship." She paused for a moment to think. "Let's make a promise."

"Right now?" Sora asked.

"Right here. Right now," Rin said. "Let's promise that no matter what happens, we'll have each other's back."

Sora grinned. "Alright, it's a promise."

* * *

"It's so early," Rin groaned as she leaned against the Heartstaff. She was beginning to regret letting Donald train her. She hadn't had enough sleep the night before and was now cold and groggy.

Judging from Donald's body language, he wasn't going to cut her any slack.

"You can manage." He pulled his staff out. "Now, it seems you were able to perform blizzard magic. You're going to need to know more than one spell if you want to work with us." He pointed his staff at her. "So, let's try fire."

Fire erupted from his staff and charged towards her. Rin let out a yelp as she dodged the spell. "What was that for?"

"Now that you've seen the spell, you should be able to copy it," Donald said as he crossed his arms.

Rin pressed her lips together as she brought the Heartstaff up in front of her. She closed her eyes. "Fire."

Nothing happened.

Rin opened. "What did I do wrong?"

Donald pinched the bridge of his bill. "What were you feeling when you cast the blizzard spell?"

"Fear," Rin scratched her head. "And, I guess protective. I didn't want to see anyone get hurt."

"Uh, huh," Donald nodded his head. "That's your problem. Magic draws from the user's emotions. Powerful emotions emit powerful magic. Try to imitate the feeling you had before and cast the spell again."

Rin sighed and closed her eyes again. Evoking the feeling wasn't as hard as she thought. All she had to do was imagine Sora, Donald, and Goofy sprawled on the ground in pain with her as the only one between them and a giant Heartless.

She held the Heartstaff in front of her as she felt a wave of protectiveness wash over her. "Fire!"

Flame sprang from her Heartstaff. She could feel the heat brush her skin as it traveled away from her.

A loud yell caused her to open her eyes.

Donald was currently running around in circles with his tail on fire. A bucket full of water was nearby so Donald quickly raced toward it and dunked his tail inside. "Ahh," he said as smoke swarmed around him.

"Heh, heh," Rin said as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry about that. Guess I shouldn't cast magic when my eyes are closed."

Donald's face turned bright red. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by someone else.

"What happened?" Sora asked as Goofy and he walked towards him.

"Gawrsh Donald, shouldn't you have taken a bath earlier?" Goofy asked.

"I am not taking a bath!" Donald said as he stood up with clinched fists.

"I might have set his tail on fire," Rin said, "by accident."

Everyone excluding Donald and Rin started laughing.

"It's not that funny," Rin muttered. From the glare she was getting from Donald, she had a feeling that she was going to stay on his bad side for a while.

"That's enough," Donald muttered. "Let's get going to the next world."

* * *

As the Gummy Ship left Traverse Town, someone was entering it. The silver hair teen looked around the 3rd district, in confusion. "Sora? Kairi?" He called out. "Is anyone here?"

* * *

L.A.: Aw, so close. If they had only waited a little longer. I know this chapter is short but I wanted to take time to help develop the relationships between the characters. You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	9. Sign Up

Sign Ups:

L.A.: I know, it's been a while since I've updated. I probably won't be able to update regularly until the summer. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The new world was a complete opposite from Wonderland. A huge golden Coliseum stood before them with lit bowls leading up to it. Plastered on one of the brick walls was a huge numbered list titled 'Phil's Cup'

"Great," Rin said. "Another weird world."

"They must be holding some sort of tournament," Goofy said, pointing to the sign.

Sora's face lit up. "A Tournament? We definitely need to check this out."

"But what about the king?" Donald asked but Sora was already running towards the coliseum. Donald turned to Rin. "Is he always like this?

"I really didn't know him that well back on the island," Rin said. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Donald grumbled to himself as they followed Sora.

Jiminy hopped back onto Rin's shoulder and began to scribble in his journal.

"Whatcha writing?" Rin asked.

"I'm just chronicling our journey," Jiminy said, his eyes not once leaving his journal. "You never know when something important could happen."

"You should be a writer," Rin said. "I'd bet you'd be good."

"Am I in it?" Goofy asked.

"Of course you're in it, you big palooka," Donald said.

When they entered the Coliseum, they found themselves in a small golden stone room. It would have seemed normal if it hadn't been for the occupant within it. Standing in front of them, engrossed in his own thoughts was a satyr.

They were shocked at the red haired goat man's appearance.

"Um…" Sora began.

"Good timing" the satyr said without turning around. "Give me a hand, will ya?" He pointed to the right. "Move that pedestal over there for me. I gotta spruce this pace up for the games."

They turned towards the large stone pedestal. Donald, Rin, and Goofy looked at Sora who shrugged and motioned them to help him.

No matter how hard they pushed, the pedestal wouldn't budge.

"This thing's heavy," Rin whispered as she wiped perspiration off her brow.

"You're telling me," Donald said as he fanned himself.

The satyr didn't seem to notice their struggle.

Sora walked towards the satyr. "Uh, it's way too heavy."

The satyr drops the papers that he was holding. "What, too heavy?" He turned towards the quartet. "Since when have you been such a little…" His eyes widen when he saw them. "Oh, wrong guy." He crosses his arms. "My name is Philoctetes but everyone around here just calls me Phil. Who are you?"

"I'm Sora and she's Rin" Sora said pointing to Rin and himself.

"Hi!" Rin waved her hand awkwardly.

"I'm Donald and he's Goofy" Donald added.

"Nice to meet you" Goofy said.

Phil didn't seem too impressed. "So what're you doing here? This here's the world-famous Coliseum-heroes only!" He looked Donald up and down. "And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pip-squeaks."

"Pip-squeaks!" Donald quacked.

"We aren't pip-squeaks!" Sora added.

Phil let out a sigh. "Look, it's like this. Heroes are coming from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum…"

"You've got heroes standing right in front of you" Donald said.

"Yup. He's a real hero chosen by the Keyblade!" Goofy said as he pointed to Sora.

Sora rubbed the back of his head slightly embarrassed.

Phil laughed "Hero? That runt?"

Sora frowned. "What's so funny? I've fought a bunch of monsters!"

Phil shrugged as he walked over to the pedestal and pushed against it. "Hey, if you can't even move this…" Phil began to strain against the weight of the pedestal, "you can't call yourself…a…hero!" He collapsed to the ground his chest heaving up and down.

They stared at Phil amused.

He glared at them. "Okay, okay so it takes more than brawn…"

"I guess that means we're heading for the games?" Sora asked with a grin.

"What?" Rin said, her voice raising slightly.

Phil stood up and brushed himself off. "Afraid not."

"Thank goodness," Rin whispered.

"Why not?" Sora asked.

"Two words:" Phil said as he held up his fingers, "You guys ain't heroes."

"Isn't that four?" Goofy asked as he counted his fingers.

"Come on!" Sora said as he clinched his fists.

"Wanna become a real hero? Start by mastering this spell." He snapped his fingers. The quartet felt a shock rush down their bodies.

"What was that?" Donald asked.

"It's known as thunder. Be careful when using it cause it is known for backfiring on amateurs," Phil said as he turned back to his papers.

They walked out of the lobby completely disheartened. Once they were outside again, Rin let out a huge sigh. "That was complete waste of time."

Sora's shoulders sagged slightly. "Yeah, and I really wanted to compete in the tournament."

"Rather a stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?" said a slightly amused voice from in front of them.

All four glanced up at the black robed man that stood before them. His skin had a blue tint to it and his hair was a blue flame.

She wasn't sure why, but anxiety rushed through her. When she looked at the man, images of a dark underworld and strange gremlin like creatures danced through her head. _What's wrong with me? _Rin thought as she clutched the Heartstaff tightly.

"Who are you?" Donald quacked as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

The man held his hands up in defense. "Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy."

Donald clinched his fists but didn't say anything.

The man looked over them for a moment. His eyes lingered on Sora and Rin for a moment before he shook his head and grinned. "Wait let me guess. You want to enter the games, right?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded their heads slightly.

Rin still remained on guard. The more the man talked, the worse the feeling got.

The blue haired man put a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Well, then, get a load of this." He snapped his fingers. When he opened his hand a white card appeared in it. He handed the card over to Sora who quickly examined it.

"A pass?" Sora asked he flipped the card over in his hand.

"What's the catch?" Rin asked.

The man shook his head as he began to walk away. "No catch. It's all yours. Good luck, I'm pulling for you, shorty." After a moment, he was gone.

"Gawrsh, do you think it's okay to use it?" Goofy asked worriedly.

"Well, it would be a waste not to use it…" Sora trailed off as he stared at the ticket. After a second he looks up at them with a grin, "Let's use it. What have we got to lose?"

Rin hadn't realized how stiff she was until the man had left.

"Hey are you alright?" Donald asked, his head cocked slightly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rin saw Sora frowning. She quickly grinned. "Yeah everything's fine. Just got a cramp in my neck from holding it in one place for so long!" She laughed as he rubbed her neck.

"Wow, you must really be out of shape" Donald said with a smirk.

Rin glared at him. "I am not. Take that back or I'll…"

"And back to more important matter," Sora interrupted. "Don't we have a tournament we need to enter?"

Rin was relieved to see that the frown had left Sora's face…until she realized what he had said. "What? We're doing the tournmament?" She said. "Why?"

"It's good training," Sora said. "Plus, we can show Phil how tough we are."

"We need to find the king first," Donald said.

"I agree with Donald," Rin said.

Everyone looked at her funny.

"Yeah, I know, weird," Rin said, "but we really shouldn't be wasting time. Besides, why do you want to intentionally pick a fight with heartless?"

"Don't worry Rin," Sora said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll do most of the fighting and you can help out on the side." He grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the collisseum. "Let's go."

"Hey, wait for us!" Goofy called as he and Donald quickly followed them.

From a dark corner, Hades watched the quartet as they ran towards the Coliseum. "Those suckers are falling right into my trap," he said with a grin. The lighting from his blue flamed hair caused his grin to almost look demonic.

"Having fun playing our games are we?" said a growling voice from behind him. Hades whirled around and came face to face with a black heartless wolf. The heartless was sitting on his hind legs with a smirk on his face.

"You're one of Maleficent's henchmen aren't you?" Hades said as he crossed his arms. "Did she send you to spy on me?"

The heartless shook his head as he came to stand beside him. "No, I came for my own interests."

Hades snickered slightly. "What's this? A heartless that actually has a free will? Now that's something you don't see everyday."

The heartless ignored him as he watched Sora, Rin, Donald and Goofy for a moment. Still staring at them he asked, "Do you fear the Keyblade?"

Hades stumbled, slightly surprised that the heartless would ask such a question. "Me? No, why would I be? I'm a god. I'm only doing this for amusement and for…insurance."

"Uh huh," the heartless grunted as he watched the quartet struggle to open the Coliseum doors.

"Aren't you supposed to be afraid of Keyblade, you know being a heartless and all?" Hades asked.

The heartless didn't take his eyes of the quartet. "I suppose, I should; but, since my heart is gone, I can't really feel fear now can I?"

Hades mentally slapped himself as he turned his gaze back to the quartet. "Yeah, right."

They watched as Sora, Donald, Goofy entered the Coliseum. Rin was about to enter when she stopped. She turned around frowning and looked right in their direction. Though Hades knew she could not see them because the shadows were hiding them completely, he couldn't help but take a step back.

After a tense moment, Rin shook her head as if to clear her mind and quickly followed after Sora and the others.

Hades let out a sigh. "That girl… there's something… different about her."

The heartless nodded as he watched the Coliseum doors shut. "You have no idea how different she is."

* * *

L.A.: That's it for now. You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	10. Not All Games are Fun

Not All Games Are Fun…

* * *

L.A.: Yay! I updated this story in a week. Thanks for the reviews! As you can see reviews will inspire me to continue. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"My life officially sucks," Rin muttered. The games were just as she expected them to be. A constant struggle of trying to not get killed.

She dodged as a heartless soldier swiped at her. She didn't understand how heartless could enter the games, and it was beginning to annoy her. It also didn't help that the Heartstaff wouldn't cast any spells. "Stupid staff! Freaking do something!"

"Rin," Donald yelled as he sent a blizzard spell hurtling toward a nearby heartless. "Remember what I said, use your emotions to cast the spell."

"Right my emotions." She yelped as a heartless smacked her shoulder. She stamped her foot and aimed the Heartstaff at the heartless. "Gah! I'm angry. Set the stupid heartless on fire!"

A thunderbolt struck the heartless. It let out a shriek before disappearing. Rin blinked. "That works too."

Sora struck the remaining heartless with the keyblade. As soon as it disappeared, a bell sounded siginalling the match was over.

Rin slumped to the ground sighing with relief. "Finally a break."

Jiminy, who had been sitting on the sidelines, hopped up on her knee. "Are you okay?"

Rin nodded. "I'm fine. Just winded from the whole trying not to die thing."

"Well maybe you should have waited on the sidelines with Jiminy," Donald said.

Rin clinched her fists and glared at him. "Well, sorry I'm not a great soceror yet."

With a huff, she stood up and walked away.

As she did, she overheard Goofy whisper "Gawrsh, Donald, I think you hurt her feelings."

She sat down once she was a distance away from them and stared at her feet. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't great. She was never good at sports and she'd just got the Heartstaff for Pete's Sake!

She started when a water bottle appeared in front of her face. Looking up, she saw Sora holding the water bottle out to her, grinning.

"Thought you could use a drink."

"Thanks," Rin said as she took a sip. The water tasted cool and delicious as it trickled down her throat.

"Feeling better?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," she grinned sheepishly. "Sorry for that."

"It's okay," Sora said. "I'm actually kind of glad. You were so shy on the Destiny Isles. I feel like I'm finally starting to see the real you."

"Disappointed?" Rin asked.

Sora shook his head. "No, glad."

Rin blushed but covered it as she quickly stood up. "Well, let's get back to the others then. Wouldn't want to get disqualified."

Sora nodded as he followed her.

When they reached Goofy, Donald, and Jiminy, Phil was with them.

Goofy waved to them happily while Donald looked away guiltily.

"So, what do you think?" Sora asked Phil.

Phil crossed his arms as he tried to keep his expression neutral. "You're better than I thought. If only he could see this…"

"Who?" Donald asked.

Phil shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Hercules. He's a hero if there ever was one. Too bad he's off visiting his father."

"Who's his father?" Goofy asked.

Phil looked at them in disbelief. "Why Zeus, of course. The king of the gods."

"Hercules' father is a god?" Sora asked. While everyone else was in shock, Rin found herself not surprised. The feeling of déjà vu took over once more. She quickly shook it off as she looked at her feet. _What's happening to me?_

* * *

Hades glared at the quartet as they talked to Phil. He hated to admit it; but he was kind of glad they were still in the tournament. It would make the next chain of events more interesting. He could feel the eyes of his pawn, a blond spiky haired swordsman named Cloud, and the heartless wolf boring into him. He quickly turned around and addressed Cloud "That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now don't blow it. Just take him out."

"The great god of the Underworld is afraid of a kid?" Cloud said with a slight laugh. "Sorry, but my contract says…"

The blue hair on Hades' head flared and turned orange "I know! You think I don't know? I wrote the contract!" He took a deep breath as his hair returned normal. "I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him."

Cloud raised an eyebrow at him.

Hades put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Come on. Hey, it's like that old goat says: Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it! I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?"

Without answering, Cloud left.

"Geez. He's stiffer than the stiffs back home" Hades commented to himself.

"He didn't seem to like your idea of fun at all." The heartless said with a slight smirk.

Hades ignored his comment as he watched Sora and company climb on the battle platform. "Still, suckers like him are hard to come by..." He heard the heartless walking away. Without turning around he called, "Where are you going?"

"I want to get a better view," the heartless said as he disappeared from Hades' sight.

Hades rolled his eyes. "That old witch sure has an odd collection of minions. A stupid crow, and a heartless wolf. Who will she recruit next, a cow?" He laughed at his own joke before turning back to the battle. "Still, if everything falls into place, I may not even need her help."

* * *

From the distance Maleficent smirked at the god of the Underworld. "You are wrong, my dear friend. If the pieces fall into place, then it will be I who doesn't need you." She turned her gaze down to the heartless wolf who stood beside her waiting for her orders. "Stay here a keep an eye on our good friend Hades."

"And what of his plans?" the heartless asked, his head cocked.

She turned to look back at the scheming god. "His silly plan should fail but if it doesn't…" She paused for a second lost in thought. "Make sure that I am the next owner of the Keyblade and Heartstaff."

The heartless bowed. "Yes, my liege."

* * *

Rin was surprised by their next opponent. Instead of a heartless, it was a man with spikey blond hair swordsman. As his eyes caught hers, she felt a chill run down her spine. His eyes were cold and devoid of any emotion.

She gulped as she held the Heartstaff up in front of her.

A bell rang signaling the beginning of the round.

The man shot forward and swiped his sword at Sora. Sora yelped as he barely dodged. The man charged for Goofy next, who barely had time to put his shield up.

As the man charged between Goofy, Sora, and Donald, Rin realized that he was avoiding her. She was the easier target. She was weak at fighting and her spells weren't working half the time, so why didn't he take her out?

She decided to take advantage of the situation. She pointed the Heartstaff at the man. She knew thunder came from anger, fire came from determination, and blizzard came from protection. She was feeling more determined at the moment so fire it was.

"Fire!" She yelled. An orange ball of flame emitted from the Heartstaff. It surged forward and hit the man square in the back.

She grinned at her success; however, her grin disappeared when the man turned and glared at her.

She yelped as the man suddenly appeared in front of her. He grapped the front of her shirt and lifted her in the air.

"Rin!" Goofy, Donald, and Sora yelled.

Rin struggled to escape; but his glare made her froze.

"Don't interfere," the man said, "It's not necessary to fight you."

Before she could ask why, a lightning bolt struck the man. He dropped her. She rolled out of the way before running to stand behind Sora.

"You okay?" Sora asked.

Rin nodded.

The man turned around his sword dragging against the ground. He looked worn out.

A loud quake shook the stadium. The gate doors opened as a large black three-headed dog came bounding in.

Rin grinned at the dog. "Oh, look a dog!"

"Hades," the man yelled. "We had a deal."

From a corner, Hades stepped out grinning. "Oh, right, Cloud, there was one other rule I forgot: Accidents happen." He laughed as he disappeared.

Cloud collapsed to the ground. The dog growled as its three heads lurched forward.

Sora and Rin were about to rush forward when a red haired man in Athenian clothing jumped in between the dog and its prey. He punched the three heads sending the dog tumbling to the ground.

Rin winced. She never liked to see dogs hurt. Even if they were giant three headed ones.

"Herc!" Phil yelled from behind a fallen pillar.

_Herc? _Rin thought as she gazed at the man. _That's Hercules?_

For the son of a god, he looked rather human.

Hercules quickly hoisted Cloud over his shoulder. "Phil, get them out of here! I'll deal with Cerberus."

Without hesitation, Sora, Rin, Donald, and Goofy quickly followed Phil back to the Lobby.

Once they were in the lobby, they collapsed to the floor with a sigh of relief.

"Whew, that was close! That was Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld. Herc should be able to handle him." Phil said as he puffed his chest in pride. A loud roar and a crash shook the entire coliseum. Phil shifted from one foot to another. "But then again, maybe not..." Another loud roar rang through the Coliseum followed by two more ground shakes. "This doesn't look good..."

Donald and Sora looked at each other. Realizing that they both had the same idea, they turned to Goofy and Rin.

Goofy looked back at them completely confused.

Rin shook her head. "Please don't tell me you are planning to go back and fight."

"Kids, you're not serious about entering the arena, are ya?" Phil said his eyes filled with disbelief. "This ain't just some match. This is for real!"

Sora turned toward Phil. "We're not afraid."

Though Phil tried to hide it under his frown, his respect showed through his eyes. "Well, then be careful."

"Come on Rin," Sora yelled.

Rin hesitated before following.

* * *

Once they arrived in the battle arena, they found a badly injured Hercules and an unconscious Cloud trapped in a corner by Cerberus.

"Kids," Phil said, "I've got two words of advice for you: Attack!"

Donald, Goofy, and Sora rushed forward. Rin stood in place cradling the Heartstaff.

Jiminy hopped back on her shoulder. "Rin, what's wrong?"

"I can't hurt dogs," Rin muttered. "It's just… not right."

"Rin!" Donald said as he sent a fireball hurtling towards Cerberus. "What are you doing?"

Cerberus suddenly cocked his heads at Rin. He bounded forward and Rin braced herself for his attack.

When it didn't come, Rin opened her eyes again.

Cerberus was wagging his tail and panting. When he saw her looking, he promptly lay down and rolled on his back.

Rin giggled before reaching out and rubbing his chest. "Good boy, Cerberus."

The others including Hercules stared at her with their jaws dropped.

"What?" She said.

"How did you do that?" Donald asked.

Rin shrugged. "I like dogs and I guess the feelings are mutual."

Cerberus yipped excitedly as his foot twitched.

* * *

From the stands, the heartless wolf watched the group down below.

They were able to move Cerberus to a safer area. With Rin around, Cerberus had turned into a complete puppy.

The heartless wolf grinned as he walked away. "You were always good with dogs."

* * *

Once they entered the lobby again, Phil and Hercules presented each of the quartet with an award. Phil cleared his throat. "Thus, I do hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further…"

"Hey! What do you mean 'junior heroes'?" Donald quacked.

Phil shook his head. "You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero."

While the others complained about their junior status, Rin stared at her award in awe. _Me? A hero? _She grinned as her finger trailed across the award. _I never thought I could be that._

"So, what does it take?" Goofy asked, stirring her from her thoughts.

Hercules smiled. "Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Just the way that I did."

Sora shrugged. "No problem. We'll start by proving ourselves in the games."

"There ain't gonna be any games for a while." Phil said as he looked around at the ruins of the once great coliseum. "I gotta clean up the mess from that last battle first."

"Okay, we'll be back." Sora said as they left.

Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Phil said, "I still can't believe those squirts were able to tame Cerberus."

Hercules leaned in toward him. "Just between us, I'd already worn Cerberus down by the time the little guys jumped in."

Phil made a zipping motion with his lips. "My lips are sealed."

* * *

Cloud sat near the tournament's stats board when they exited the coliseum.

As they walked towards him, Cloud glanced up.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sora asked.

Cloud leaned back against the board. "Yeah."

There was a pause as the two regarded each other.

Sora kicked a piece of dirt. "So why did you go along with him, anyway?"

"I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." He stood up. "I fell into darkness, and couldn't find the light."

Sora smiled. "You'll find it. I'm searching, too."

"For your light?" Cloud glanced at Rin. "You've already found your light. It's been beside you the entire time." He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't lose sight of it."

"O…kay" Sora said slightly confused as Cloud began to walk away from them. He looked at Rin who just shrugged. He quickly shook off his confusion. "How about a rematch sometime?" He called. "Fair and square, no dark powers involved."

Cloud paused for a moment as if he was thinking. "I think, I'll pass." With a slight wave he left.

* * *

Hades growled at the miniature image of Hercules in his hand. "He's strong, he's kind. He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot. He's perfect. Perfect." He crushed the image in his hand reducing it to smoke. "Perfectly infuriating! He makes me crazy." Hades took a deep breath and rubbed his hand across his face. "Wait a minute. What are you talking about? All the pieces are in place. Relax. Here's what you do. Let Hercules train the kids. In the next games, I'll take care of them both."

"Mighty confident are we?" said a sinister voice from behind him.

Hades whirled around to see Maleficent and the heartless wolf watching him.

"Who invited you to the party?" He glared at the heartless. "Let me guess your crony? Well, stay out of this. This is my show."

Neither Maleficent nor the heartless seemed fazed.

Maleficent gave a slight bow. "As you wish. Fight to your heart's content."

They left Hades to his brooding. Once out of earshot, Maleficent turned toward the heartless. "I have an errand I need you to run."

"What is it, my liege?" The heartless asked, his tone neutral.

"I want you to pick up a boy who just landed in Traverse Town."

"A boy?" The heartless cocked his head. "Why do you want a boy?"

Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now you're curious." She handed him a picture of the boy. "His heart has opened to the darkness. He could prove quite useful to us."

The heartless glanced at the picture once, his memory taking in every single detail of the boy, before handing it back to her. His curious expression had returned to a frown.

Though she could tell that he greatly disapproved of her scheme, she chose to ignore him. "Now go."

The heartless hesitated for a moment before giving a stiff bow. "Your wish is my command, my liege."

He vanished into the shadows as Maleficent walked toward the exit of the Coliseum. "Yes," she said with a sinister grin. "Soon that will be very true for everyone."

* * *

L.A.: Dun, dun, dun. Cliffhanger. Anywho you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	11. A Missing Friend

A Missing Friend

* * *

L.A.: Sorry for the delay. I was try to meet a ridiculous deadline for one of my classes. I decided to show Riku's side now. Enjoy!

* * *

The second district of Traverse Town was extremely quiet tonight. The only sounds were the buzz from the neon signs and the footsteps of the sole person on the streets. Riku listened to his footsteps ricocheting of the sides of the building. It was quiet, too quiet for his liking. And who could blame him for being this way after the week he had.

When he was swallowed by the darkness on Destiny Isles, Riku was thrown into a world of complete darkness. He wandered around for a couple of days until he finally found what ended up being a portal that led to this world. After talking to a couple of the locals and finding out that both Sora and Rin had indeed been sighted in this world, Riku decided to explore the rest of the town in hopes of finding them.

Riku let out sigh as he approached the fountain in the center of the district. "Still no sign of them." He knew that Sora and Kairi were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Rin he didn't know that well but she had seemed the type who could take care of herself. still, he couldn't help but worry. The look on Sora's face when he was being swallowed by darkness still haunted his mind. "He just doesn't understand," Riku muttered as he sat on the edge of the fountain.

Darkness wasn't a bad thing. He wanted to escape his world and it had granted him his wish. The new sights, sounds, and smells were enough to cause sensory overload. The only consequence was that his friends weren't with him.

The image of his friends was painted in his mind. His shoulders slumped. "I hope they're okay."

The truth was he really missed them.

He missed Sora's goofy grin and Kairi's laugh. He let out another sigh as he looked up at the star filled sky. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all."

Even though he was in a different world he noticed that the sky was still the same as it was on Destiny Isles. It was kind of funny how even though a world could be so different, it still shared similarities. All worlds have life, death, light, darkness, and of course the immense star filled sky. _One sky, one destiny I suppose _he thought as he felt himself relax slightly. It was ironic, really. He wanted to go to other worlds to escape the humdrum life of Destiny Isles yet he felt happier when he found traits that were similar to the Destiny Isles in other worlds.

"Are you lost?" a growling, young male voice asked.

Riku turned quickly toward the speaker in surprise.

He had been so quiet that Riku hadn't notice his arrival. Sitting on his hind legs a few feet away from him was a black wolf. He had bright red eyes and a strange heart shaped insignia on his chest. Riku's eyes narrowed at the insignia. From what the townspeople had told him, Heartless, creatures who stole people's hearts, wore a sign similar to that insignia on their bodies. From what he gathered though, Heartless shouldn't be able to talk.

The wolf sensed the tension in Riku's body and smiled. "You're cautious. That's good. You'll need it around here if you don't want your heart to be stolen."

Riku continued to stare at him, his body completely tense.

The wolf rolled his eyes as he took a couple steps back. "Here I'll step back. That way if I lunge , you will have plenty of time to escape. Besides," he looked up and grinned. "You remind me of a trapped mouse right now and it will be a lot easier to talk to you if you act like a normal human…"

"I do not look like a trapped mouse!" Riku snapped.

The wolf grinned. "Ha, ha, so the boy can speak!"

Riku smiled slightly as he crossed his arms. "Alright, I'll admit that was a smart way to get me to talk. So, who are you anyway?"

The wolf made a slight bow. "My name is of no real importance. But, if you feel that you must call me something then call me Wolf. I am the servant of the witch known as Maleficent."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "A witch? Is she the good or bad kind?"

Wolf shrugged. "Good? Bad? Who knows. It all depends on who you ask. She knew you were coming here and asked for me to find you."

Riku smirked. "Wow, she sounds powerful but why is she looking for me?"

"She wanted your help with something. In return, she would help you find your friends." Wolf noticed the surprised expression on Riku's face. "Yes, she knows you are looking for your friends. Like you said, she is very powerful."

Riku frowned as he thought. Wolf seemed nice enough but he knew nothing about this Maleficent. All the fairytales he read when he was young always portrayed the witch as being evil. Of course he wanted to find his friends, but then what did she want him to do that she could not? "I don't know…" he said as he trailed off.

"I know what it's like" Wolf said softly, snapping Riku out of his thoughts. "To be alone."

"Are you looking for someone, too?" Riku asked.

Wolf nodded. "Yes, I am. I made a promise a long time ago which I intend to keep."

Riku grinned, "Well, I guess I can't say no after that." _Besides, I can always get out of this if I don't like it, _he thought to himself.

Wolf nodded as he touched his nose to the ground. "Good, then follow me." As he lifted his nose, a dark swirling vortex appeared in front of them. "This is a dark portal" Wolf said. "It will take us to Maleficent." Wolf took a step towards the portal before looking back at Riku. "You coming?"

Riku glanced one last time at the starry sky before looking at Wolf with fresh determination. "Yeah," he said, "I'm coming."

* * *

L.A.: Short, I know but this is a side chapter to the story. Anyway you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	12. Welcome to the Jungle

Welcome to the Jungle

* * *

L.A.: Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

They decided to move on to the next world. Well, Donald, Goofy, and Sora decided to. Rin wanted to go back to Traverse Town for a night's rest but she was overruled. She could sleep okay on the Gummy Ship but she was starting to crave a normal bed.

"Look," Goofy said as he pointed to something up ahead. "There's a new world. Maybe King Mickey's on there."

A world completely covered in dense jungle lay before them.

Donald scrunched his bill. "In a backwater place like that?" Donald shook his head. "No way. Let's move on."

Sora frowned as he crossed his arms. "Hold on, Riku and Kairi might be down there. Let's check it out."

"You never know," Rin added, "your king could have crash-landed there."

Donald shook his head again as he hunched over the wheel. "Forget it. There's no way our king would be stuck down there. Besides, we're on an important mission."

"How do you know?" Sora asked.

"I just do," Donald said.

Rin and Goofy traded uneasy glances as they watched Donald and Sora glare at each other.

"Why do I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen?" Rin muttered.

Sora reached over and grabbed the wheel from Donald. "Just land."

The Gummy Ship dove right sharply.

Donald jerked the wheel from Sora's grasp. "No."

The Gummy Ship dove left sharply.

Goofy and Rin held on to each other for dear life. "Are they crazy?" Rin asked. Goofy was too scared to speak.

Sora pulled the wheel away from Donald again. "Come on Donald."

The Gummy Ship flipped twice to the right.

Donald gained control again. "No."

The Gummy Ship flipped twice to the left.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Goofy moaned as his face turned green.

"Just don't throw up on me," Rin said.

A big red shiny button caught Sora's eye. "We're landing." With a grin, he pushed the big red shiny button.

Donald's face turned bright red. "Don't touch that! Nooo!" But he was already too late. The Gummy Ship jerked to a stop and sat there as if it were suspended in time. The next second, they were hurdling down toward the world below. Donald and Sora turned back and looked at Rin and Goofy with guilty faces. Rin glared at them while Goofy covered his eyes.

"If we live through this," Rin yelled over the roar of the engine. "I'm going to make sure you regret it."

They all screamed as the Gummy Ship plummeted to the world below.

* * *

Sora woke up with a groan. The first thing he saw was the human-size hole in the thatched roof ceiling above him. _I must have fallen through there,_ he thought as he slowly sat up rubbing his head. Looking around, he realized he was in a tree house. _Is this a dream? _He thought. His head throbbed again forcing him back to reality.

"Oww…my head…" He held his head as he called out. "Rin? Donald? Goofy?"

There was no response.

Sora groaned again as he slowly stood up. "Great, things can't possibly get worse."

A loud growl snapped Sora out of his thoughts. Looking up in the rafters, Sora saw a large jaguar. Its hungry eyes bore into him as it readied itself to pounce.

_You have got to be kidding me, _he thought as he held out his hand to summon the Keyblade. _If I don't hurry, that stupid jaguar going to get me._

As he brought the Keyblade up to block the jaguar's attack, it swiped the Keyblade out of its way with its massive claws. The force of the blow sent Sora slamming into a nearby wall. With the breath knocked out of him, Sora forced himself to stand on his wobbly legs. The jaguar lunged at him. Before it could make contact, a brown haired man wearing only a loincloth came swooping in from the rafters and kicked the jaguar out of the way. The man and jaguar glare at each other for a moment. The jaguar let out a hiss before jumping out a nearby window.

The man relaxed as he turned to face Sora. His brown eyes bored into him. "Sabor, danger."

Sora scratched the back of his neck and grinned awkwardly. The man's staring was starting to make him a little nervous. "Um… thank you."

The man cocked his head. "Thank you?"

_Why is he thanking me? _Sora thought as the man continued to stare at him. "Uh, what is this place?"

The man grinned happily. "This place, this place."

_This guy's a little weird. He just keeps copying everything I say._ Sora decided to change the subject. "Okaaay… Look I got separated from my friends. Have you seen them?"

The man frowned in confusion.

"Friends…" Sora said as he waved his hands in the air in a desperate attempt to make him to understand.

The man's face lit up. "Friends!"

Sora sighed in relief. "Right, my friends. There's three of them. The loud one is Dona-"

The man shook his head to show that he didn't understand.

Now that Sora thought about it, it didn't matter if he found Donald and Goofy. _It was Donald's fault that we got separated anyway. If he really cares, he can look for me. _He turned his gaze back to the man. "You know what? Never mind. I'm looking for my friends Riku, Rin, and Kairi."

"Look for Riku, friends?" The man asked curiously.

Sora nodded. "Right."

"Rin, friends?"

"Yes," Sora could feel himself growing impatient.

Something moved in Sora's peripheral vision. As he looked, he saw Kairi slowly walking around the circumference of the room. _Am I seeing things?_ Sora thought as he rubbed his eyes.

The man cocked his head. "Kairi, friends?"

"Uhh… right," Sora was still staring at Kairi.

She turned and winked at him before disappearing. Sora blinked a couple of times and rubbed his head. _I must have hit my head harder than I thought._

"Friends, here," the man said interrupting Sora's thoughts.

Sora looked back in surprise. "Really?"

The man grunted as he pounded his chest with his hand. "Oh…Oh…Ah…. Friends here."

Sora shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure I understand, but show me. Take me to Rin, Riku, and Kairi."

The man pointed to himself. "Tarzan," he said," Tarzan go."

"Oh," Sora said realizing that Tarzan was the man's name. "I'm Sora…" He pantomimed walking. "Tarzan go, Sora go go!"

Tarzan looked at Sora as if he was crazy for a moment before leaving the tree house.

_Great, now he thinks I'm weird, _Sora thought as he followed Tarzan. _Well, at least I got my point across._

As he stepped out into the sunlight, he was greeted by an endless green forest. Sora frowned. _I hope the others are all right_. Sora thought as he hurried to catch up with Tarzan.

* * *

"Stupid bamboo. Stupid rock. Stupid forest. Stupid world." Donald yelled as he kicked a rock. After the crash, Goofy and Donald woke up to find themselves in a bamboo thicket.

Goofy sighed as he looked around. "Gawrsh, where are we? I sure hope Sora and Rin are okay."

Donald rolled his eyes as he stood up. "Aw, who needs them? We can find the king without their help…Huh?" A rustle from behind him caught his attention. Donald whirled around and came face to face with a young gorilla. They both stood still staring at each other. A second later, they both screamed as they ran in opposite directions. The gorilla dropped something as it left.

"Huh? What's this?" Goofy said as he picked up the object.

"L-Looks like a Gummy Block" Donald stuttered from behind Goofy.

"Gawrsh, do you think it could be the king's?" Goofy asked.

"Can't be," Donald said as he turned the block around in his hands.

A gunshot went off causing both of them to jump.

"Uh, Donald, I think we're about to have company," Goofy said.

* * *

_Rin sighed as she stood impatiently in front of the airport. She had been waiting for fifteen minutes and still no sign of her parents. _You'd think they'd want to see their daughter after she was gone a week, _Rin thought as she played with the sticker on her luggage. _

_She grinned when a green sudan pulled up to the curb. "Finally," she whispered as she walked toward it. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw who stepped out of the car. Instead of her parents, it was her uncle. _

"_Hope you don't mind," her uncle said as he approached her. "Your parents were busy with last minute errands so I volunteered to pick you up."_

_Rin shook her head. "No, I'm glad. I just didn't think I'd see you since you've been so busy."_

_Her uncle laughed as he picked up her luggage. "The boss gave us some time off so I figured I'd take advantage of it." He motioned to the car. "Go ahead and get in while I put your luggage in the back."_

_Rin slipped into the front seat. A whine from the back caused her to grin as she turned around. "Caleb!"_

_The German Shepard let out a happy bark as Rin scratched behind his ears. _

"_I'd thought you'd want your dog want to greet you,"her uncle said as he slipped into the driver's seat._

"_Yeah, ack!" She winced when Caleb licked her across the face. "You'd think I'd been gone for ages."_

"_How was camp?" Her uncle asked as he slowly pulled into traffic._

"_Not too bad," Rin said as she leaned back into her seat. "But that's boring, tell me about the game."_

"_Sales are looking good and the reviews are positive," her uncle said, however there was a frown on his face._

"_What's wrong?" Rin asked._

"_It's nothing," her uncle quickly said. He gaze trailed away from the road for a second. "Just…there's been some glitches in the software." He looked back at the road. "I'm worried of what will hap…" His eyes widened as he slammed on the brakes. _

_Rin clutched her seat as she looked ahead. A familiar black creature with black antennas and glowing yellow eyes was in the middle of the road and they were about to hit it. _

"_Is that a…"_

_She was cut off when darkness surrounded her. The last thing she heard was Caleb's alarmed bark and her uncle whispering. "What have we done?"_

* * *

Rin woke up to a sea of green. Trees surrounded her on all sides. "Rin? Rin, are you okay?" A worried voice asked. Rin looked down to see Jiminy standing on her chest with a frown on his face.

Rin smiled. "Hey Jiminy, how long was I out?"

Jiminy relaxed slightly. "For about an hour. I was afraid that you might never wake up."

Rin grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I guess I was knocked out from the fall." She tried to sit up. Pain shot through her left ankle causing her to grimace.

"When you landed, a log fell on your ankle. I tried to move it but…" Jiminy looked himself up and down. "…as you can see I'm afraid I couldn't really do much."

Rin shook her head. Jiminy hopped off her chest as she sat up and tried to push the log off. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I think I only twisted it." The log refused to budge. Rin let out a sigh as she leaned back on her hands. The pain in her ankle had begun to throb. She tried to block the pain out of her mind. At least the Heartstaff didn't weigh as much as it used to. In fact, it almost felt like it wasn't even there.

Her face paled as she patted her back. "Jiminy? Where's the Heartstaff?" she asked trying to keep her voice steady.

Jiminy pointed behind her. "When we landed, it flew off over there."

Rin looked behind her to find the Heartstaff lying on a pile of leaves. She let out a sigh of relief.

"If you want I can try to roll it to you," Jiminy said, trying to look taller than he was.

Rin smiled. "No, that's all right. As soon as I get this dumb log off, I'll go get it myself."

A rustle from the foliage caught their attention. Three monkey-like heartless stepped out from behind the trees. All three stared at her, their eyes filled with hunger.

"Oh boy, this doesn't look good." Rin mumbled as she leaned back and reached for the Heartstaff. It was just past her fingertips. She grumbled in frustration as she pushed on the log. It wouldn't budge.

The three heartless slowly advanced, laughter in their cold eyes.

"Uh Jiminy," Rin whispered to the little cricket beside her. "We need to come up with a new plan and fast."

One of the heartless grew impatient. It sprung at her. Before she could react, a figure jumped in between her and the heartless. It knocked the heartless away as if it were a mere toy. Less than a second later, it attacked the other two destroying them instantly. Seeing that its comrades were defeated, the last heartless quickly stood up and raced into the forest. The figure stood catching its breath. When it turned around, Rin let out a gasp.

It was the heartless wolf from Traverse Town.

"What do you want with us?" Jiminy said as he crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.

The heartless wolf lowered himself to the ground. "Please, I don't mean any harm. I only wish to help."

Rin wasn't sure why; but, in her heart, she felt that she could trust him.

The wolf slowly crawled toward her. If she wasn't in shock, she might have laughed at how comical he looked.

When he finally reached her, he sat up. "I'm going to remove the log now." Rin and Jiminy watched as he effortlessly lifted the log off her ankle and set it to the side.

Pain surged through Rin's body as she quickly brought her legs to her chest. Her ankle was swollen two times its normal size and was a yellowish blue color.

The wolf's voice cut through the pain. "May I see your ankle?"

Rin looked at him for a moment before she slowly extended her ankle toward him. She winced slightly as he inspected it with his paw. "You've definitely twisted it. If you trust me, I can heal it. I will only fix it with your consent though."

"Don't let him, Rin," Jiminy whispered. "He's a heartless."

Rin continued to stare at the wolf. Then to both the wolf's and Jiminy's amazement, she slowly nodded.

The wolf smiled. "Qatch this." He placed his nose on her ankle. "Cura," he mumbled as a bright green light encircled her ankle. A soothing sensation ran through Rin's body. After the light died down, both Rin and Jiminy were surprised to see her ankle back to normal. She quickly stood up and tested her ankle. It worked perfectly.

"Wow," she said as she turned to face the wolf. "It's all better. Thank you so much for…" She trailed off realizing that the wolf was nowhere in sight. "He's gone."

"Thank goodness," Jiminy said as he began to scribble in his notebook. "The last thing we need is to have is a heartless stalking us."

"I'm not so sure he's evil," Rin said as she picked up the Heartstaff.

"How do you know?" Jiminy asked.

"I don't know," Rin said as she clinched the Heartstaff. "It's just a feeling."

* * *

Maleficent watched as Riku practiced with his sword in the courtyard below. Though he had only recently learned how to summon his sword, he was doing well against the heartless Maleficent let him practice on. "Soon," she whispered, "very soon he will be ready."

"Having fun watching your puppet, my liege?" Wolf asked as he walked into the room. Though he did not show it in his expression, Maleficent could tell he was still angry with her plan.

"He is doing fine," she said.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"This is wrong," Wolf blurted out. "He is just a kid."

Maleficent arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Since when have you grown a conscious?" She laughed slightly, returning her gaze to Riku. "Now go be a good boy and fetch my 'puppet' as you call him."

Wolf arched his back and growled. "No."

Her eyes narrowed. "You will do as I say. I am your master."

Wolf glared at her. "You are not my master and you never will be."

Maleficent's staff began to glow. "You dare speak back to me, heartless? Don't tell me you have already forgotten our contract."

Wolf began to twitch and squirm in pain as the staff grew brighter.

Malificent smiled, enjoying how vulnerable he looked. "I'm not stupid. I know of your little excursion earlier today."

Wolf's eyes widen in surprise. The staff slowly dimmed leaving Wolf to catch his breath.

Maleficent smirked. "Yes, I know about your connection with the keeper of the Heartstaff." She leaned in until she was barely an inch from his face. "And, if you want to continue to have that loophole your promise gives you, I suggest you do as I say. If not, I will make sure that your loophole in our contract is destroyed. That is a promise."

Wolf stood silent with his head bowed.

Satisfied, she continued as she slowly walked away. "Good, now bring Riku to the sanctuary for me."

"Yes, my liege," Wolf said in a monotone voice.

"That's my boy," Maleficent said, her voice oozing with sarcasm. "I can always count on you, can't I?"

* * *

L.A.: And that's the end of that chapter. You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	13. In the Jungle, the Heartless Sleeps

In the Jungle, the Heartless Sleeps Tonight

* * *

L.A.: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay! Here's the next chapter!

* * *

Rin wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. She had been wandering for a while now but her situation hadn't changed. She was utterly and completely lost.

"Have any ideas?" Rin asked Jiminy.

He was busy scribbling in his book. He looked up for a moment before shrugging. "I haven't a clue."

"I guess we keep going straight then," Rin said.

As she walked, she let her mind drift. The dream from before was on her mind. It had felt like a memory yet she had no recollection of ever leaving the island. And the dog? She was pretty sure she never had a dog.

"This looks promising," Jiminy said.

Rin snapped out of her thoughts and saw that she had entered a campsite. "Well," she said, "I guess this world is inhabited by someone other than the heartless."

Jiminy nodded as he put his notebook away. As Rin looked around, she saw a young woman with long brown hair and brown eyes bent over a record player.

Rin slowly walked over to her. "Uh hi," she said as the woman turned around. "I'm kind of lost."

"Oh," the woman said, "you speak English. So then, you must not be related to Tarzan…" She tapped her chin in thought.

"Tarzan?" Rin said. "Umm….who?"

The woman shook her head. "Oh, my where are my manners. My name is Jane. I am here to study the gorillas. Are you here to study them as well?"

"My name is Rin and the cricket on my shoulder is Jiminy." Rin said as she pointed to herself and Jiminy. "And no, we aren't here to study gorillas."

Jane peered at Jiminy with interest. "How fascinating."

"Our ship crashed and we got separated from our friends," Rin said. "Have anyone named Sora, Donald, or Goofy pass by here?"

Jane sighed sadly. "No, I'm afraid not." Her face lit up. "But as soon as Tarzan returns, I'm sure he could help you find them."

"Okay…" Rin said, her gaze cast to the ground.

Jane smiled as she encircled her arm with Rin's. "How about we have some tea to pass the time? I just made a fresh pot."

Rin smiled. "Yes thank you. Tea would be great."

* * *

"So many trees," Sora murmured as he and Tarzan entered a campsite. For the past hour, Sora had been following Tarzan through the forest. After a couple of failed attempts at a conversation, Sora decided to pass the time by counting trees. At around 300, Sora realized that he had made a big mistake.

"Jane!" Tarzan raced toward the tent.

A young woman stepped out of the tent grinning. "Tarzan!" She looked at Sora curiously. "Oh, and who is this?"

Sora scratched the back of his neck and grinned awkwardly. "Uh, hi there. I'm…"

"Oh, you speak English. You wouldn't by any chance be looking for a young girl named Rin, would you?"

Sora's face lit up. "Rin's here?"

Rin stepped out of the tent. "Hey, you made it," she said. "Glad we didn't have to send out a search party."

Sora shrugged. "I'm supposed to be the hero, right? I need to at least survive in a jungle."

"I see you have found the rest of them" a voice said.

All four turned to see a man with black hair and a moustache entering the camp. In his hands, he carried a rifle. Trailing behind him like two naughty school kids were Donald and Goofy.

Goofy's face lit up. "Sora! Rin!"

"Oh good, you're okay," Rin said as she gave a very happy Goofy and a surprised Donald each a hug.

Sora followed suit. When he and Donald were about to hug, they realized that they were still mad at each other and quickly turned in opposite directions with their arms crossed.

The man cleared his throat causing everyone to look at him. "I stumbled into a circus of clowns. They are no use for hunting gorillas."

Jane glared at the man. "Mr. Clayton, we're studying the gorillas, not hunting them. This is research."

Clayton snorted in disgust as he left the campsite.

Jane sighed before returning her attention to the others. "Well, the more the merrier. Do make yourselves at home."

They thanked her.

"So," Rin said. "What are we going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Are we going to stay and look around this world or move on?" Rin asked.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

"Well, anyway…" Sora began.

"I'm staying," both he and Donald said at the same time.

Sora looked at him in surprise.

Goofy dug something out of his pocket. "Sora, Rin, look what we found." Goofy held a green block in front of their faces.

"What is that?" Sora asked.

"It's a Gummy block. Kind of like the one we found in Wonderland," Donald said.

"So that means…" Rin said.

"The king could be here," Donald said. "So, we've gotta work together to look for him." He cast a sideways glance at Sora. "For now."

"Fine," Sora said. "I'll let you tag along." He cut his eyes at Donald. "For now."

"Oh my," Jiminy muttered.

Rin rolled her eyes. "This is going to be a long day."

* * *

The tent was spacious despite its appearance. It had an assortment of supplies and research material. Jane turned on a projector. "Apparently, Tarzan was raised in the jungle by the gorillas. Communicating with him still isn't easy, but he is learning."

"So he was speaking in 'gorilla' back there…" Sora said. "He said Riku and Kairi are here."

"They are?" Rin asked as her eyes lit up.

Sora nodded. "Also, he said one word I couldn't understand."

Jane patted the projector. "Why don't we try this?" She motioned to the projector. "We'll show Tarzan some slides and see if any of them match that word." Jane slipped the slides into the projector as Tarzan watched the screen intently. The first photo was of a man and woman dancing followed by a picture of a gorilla.

The third slide caught Sora off guard. It was a picture of a castle. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that there was something important about it.

Seeing his expression, Jane asked. "What's wrong, Sora?"

Sora shook his head to clear his thoughts. "What? Oh it's nothing."

Jane returned to the slides.

Sora sighed. _That place… it just looked so familiar. But how? I've never been off my island._

"I know how you feel," Rin whispered snapping Sora out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Sora said as he turned to look at her.

Rin didn't take her eyes of the screen. "That place. It felt familiar to me too."

After viewing five more slides, the reel ended. Jane eyed Tarzan. "Well, Tarzan?"

"Where are our friends?" Sora motioned to himself and Rin. "Riku and Kairi."

Tarzan shrugged his shoulders.

Sora frowned. "Hey, I thought…"

"That leaves just one place," Clayton said as he entered the tent. He put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Young man, we've been in this jungle for some time now; but we have yet to encounter these friends of yours. I'd wager they're with the gorillas." He glared at Tarzan. "But Tarzan refuses to take us to them."

Jane clinched her jaw. "Really, Mr. Clayton. Tarzan wouldn't hide…"

Clayton approached Tarzan. "Then take us there," he said, deliberately over enunciating each word. "Take us to the gorillas." He pointed to a nearby blackboard with a chalk drawing of a gorilla. "Go-ril-las."

Tarzan looked at Sora for a moment. Then, to everyone's amazement he nodded his head.

"Tarzan," Jane said with a crease in her brow, "are you sure?"

Tarzan's expression was determined. "Tarzan go see Kerchak."

"Kerchak?" Jane asked.

"He must be the leader," Clayton said as he rubbed his hands together. "Perfect. I'll go along as an escort. After all, the jungle is a dangerous place."

Rin wasn't sure why but she didn't like the idea of Clayton escorting them. From everyone's expressions, none of them were too thrilled either.

* * *

"Hippos," Rin said as she clasped her hands together.

After leaving the campsite, they entered a clearing with a pond. In the pond slept two fat pink hippos. Only their heads were above the water.

"I take it you like hippos?" Sora asked.

Rin nodded. "I just think they're cool. Plus, they don't take crud from anyone." Rin grinned. "There was a movie I saw once. I don't really remember much except that it had ballerina hippos."

Donald raised an eyebrow. "Why would someone want to watch a movie about hippos dancing?"

"I think it sounds nice," Goofy said.

Rin shook her head. "No, Donald, you don't understand. See, what happens is there are these ballerina hippos and they are dancing. Then these dancing crocodiles try to take spotlight. So they have a dance off. I can't remember who won though…"

A hippo groaned as it submerged itself underwater.

"Seems like they don't think it's a good movie either," Sora grinned.

Rin playfully shoved him. "Oh, ha, ha. You're hilarious. One of these days, I force all of you to watch it and then you might change your mind."

Tarzan grunted. They turned toward him in surprise. He was already halfway up the vine and staring down at them expectantly.

"Oh," Sora said, "I think we need to follow him."

* * *

Rin wasn't really sure what was going on. They had reached the gorilla nest. She couldn't believe how many gorillas there were. Tarzan was talking to a big gorilla who she guessed was the leader. Well, she guessed he was talking. All she heard were grunts and groans.

Goofy leaned toward Donald, "Did you get any of that?"

Donald shook his head.

"Hey, where did Clayton go?" Rin asked as she looked around. He had been so quiet, she never noticed him leave.

"No idea," Sora said, "he must've gotten lost."

"Kerchak" Tarzan said causing everyone to turn to look at Tarzan.

Kerchak was about to say something when he frowned and looked up behind him. He grunted to the gorilla beside him and they both walked away. Tarzan sighed as his shoulders slumped.

"You know," Goofy said as he scratched his chin. "That gorilla seemed sorta distracted by something."

"Yeah," Donald said, unconsciously mimicking Goofy's actions. "Was he looking toward the tree house?"

They all looked in the direction of the tree house.

* * *

_This shot is perfect. I can't possibly miss._ Clayton aimed his rifle at the young gorilla who was busy playing with a globe. He wrapped his finger around his trigger. As he pressed down, a scream startled him. He barely missed the gorilla. Panic-stricken, the gorilla quickly jumped out a nearby window. Angry, Clayton whirled around to face the intruders. His face whitened when he realized that the intruders were none other than Donald, Goofy, Sora, Rin, and Tarzan. They were glaring at him.

"What's the big idea?" Donald crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

Clayton cleared his throat as he tugged on his collar. "You don't understand. I was only trying to… ah... a snake slithered by, you see. I saved that poor gorilla's life."

"Uh huh…" Donald raised an eyebrow.

"Right," Sora said as he crossed his arms.

"I wonder what Jane is going to say once she hears about this," Rin said.

* * *

Jane was positively livid. "Mr. Clayton! How could you do such a thing?"

Clayton threw his hands up in defense. "Now Miss Porter, as I told you before, I was not aiming at the gorilla."

"You are not to go near the gorillas again," Jane said as she shook her finger in his face.

"All because of one mishap?" Clayton asked as he gently pushed her finger away. "Come, now…" He stopped when he realized he was receiving glares from everyone inside the tent. Feeling embarrassed, Clayton quickly excused himself from the tent.

"I'm sorry for the way Mr. Clayton acted. He knows better than to attack gorillas." Jane ran her fingers through her hair.

"Don't worry," Goofy said with a grin "It's not your fault."

A loud gunshot rang through the air. They stiffened.

"Heartless!" Sora said.

"I beg your pardon?" Jane asked.

"Jane, you should stay here," Rin said, "it will be safer."

"Safer?" Jane said. "But what about Mr. Clayton?"

"We better go help him," Donald muttered, "even though he really doesn't deserve it."

* * *

Rin let out a frustrated sigh. "I am so sick of heartless." They were currently in the middle of a battle with several heartless. She wasn't sure why; but she felt as if they were trying to steer the group away from the campsite.

"No rest for the weary," Sora said as he swiped at a heartless. "But then we wouldn't be heroes."

"Please don't be positive," Rin said as she struck a heartless with a fire spell. "It just makes me more cranky."

The remaining heartless hissed before disappearing.

"Well we sure taught them a lesson." Donald thrust his staff in the air with a grin.

They headed back to the camp. Tarzan was in the lead, anxious to find Jane.

"Yeah, but we didn't find Clayton," Sora said with a frown.

"Don't worry, he'll be alright" Goofy said.

"Knowing our luck, he's probably already at the tent waiting for us," Rin said.

Tarzan stopped suddenly, causing everyone to pile up behind him.

"Hey," Donald said with a glare. "What's the big id… oh…"

They had reached the campsite only to find it in complete shambles. Sora, Donald, Rin, and Goofy quickly followed Tarzan as he tore open the tent flap and rushed inside. As they entered the tent, they saw Jane sprawled out unconscious on the floor with the young gorilla from before hovering over her.

"Jane!" Tarzan said as he gently lifted her into a sitting position.

Jane groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. "What happened?"

"That's what we were about to ask you," Rin said as she bent down next to her. "Are you okay?"

Tarzan moved aside as Sora and Rin helped Jane to her feet.

"I think so."Jane sighed as she rubbed her head. "Clayton came to the tent, and…" Her brows furrowed. "That's the last thing I remember."

"Clayton?" Sora said. "Wonder where he went?"

During the conversation, Tarzan had been talking to the young gorilla. Sensing a break in the conversation, he quickly stood up and said, "gorillas trapped. Terk ran."

"We must help the gorillas," Jane said. She swayed slightly as she tried to exit the tent.

"Wait a moment," Rin said as she grabbed Jane's hand.

"You need rest," Sora added as he grabbed her other hand and steered her to a chair.

"But…"

"Don't worry. We'll take care of the rest," Donald said.

"Terk stay with Jane" Tarzan said to the young gorilla.

Terk nodded as she huddled next to Jane.

Jane leaned back in her seat."Well, then, please be careful."

"We will," Goofy said as he followed the others out.

* * *

They tracked the gorillas to a cliff. They were surprised to see Clayton and the heartless surrounding the gorillas. Clayton cocked his gun at the gorillas.

Sora shouted "No!"

Clayton lowered his gun as he turned towards them. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth was slack.

"Clayton?" Sora took a step toward him.

"Not Clayton!" Tarzan said. "Ah ooh ooh. Not Clayton!"

Clayton levitated into the air.

"What the heck?" Donald quacked.

"How's he doing that?" Goofy scratched his head.

As Rin stared at Clayton, she thought she caught a glimpse of something moving. She squinted harder and saw, for a moment, a large foot hovering over Sora's head. "Sora move!" Rin yelled as she waved her staff.

Sora raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Now!" Rin said as she sent a thunderbolt hurling in his direction. He moved just before a large clawed footprint appeared a few feet from him. The thunderbolt smacked into an invisible leg. There was a loud howl as Clayton began to sway like a demonic puppet.

Goofy, Donald, and Rin rushed over to Sora who was sprawled out on the ground.

"Gawrsh Sora, are you going to be okay?" Goofy asked.

Sora stood up and brushed some dirt from his shirt. "I'll live. By the way, thanks for the safe Rin. I owe you."

"Eh, let's just say we're even," Rin said with a grin. She glanced towards Clayton and the invisible creature. At the moment, it seemed as if they were still recovering from the shock. "Hey guys," Rin said as she turned back to the others. "I think Clayton is riding some sort of invisible heartless."

"Then maybe we should take it out first," Goofy said.

"Right," Sora said as he summoned the Keyblade. "Then let's do it!"

"Hey Sora?" Donald asked.

"What?" Sora raised an eyebrow.

Rin and Goofy held their breath.

"Be careful." Donald looked quickly toward Clayton.

Sora smiled slightly. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly looked toward Clayton as well. "You be careful too."

As they charged forward, the heartless became visable. It looked like a chameleon with rabies. Its tongue flicked out as drool dribbled down his tongue.

"Ew," Rin said. "What is wrong with these heartless? Whoever came up with them is messed up."

Donald summoned an ice spell and sent it hurtling toward the heartless. It pitched backwards as it let out a roar. Sora and Goofy struck it soon after. The heartless hissed as it snapped at Sora. It became invisible again.

"Where did it go?" Goofy asked.

Rin yelped as she was suddenly swept off her feet. The tail wrapped itself around her and raised her in the air. "Oh, come on. Why do they always pick on the girl?"

"Use your magic," Donald said as he dodged the heartless's claws.

Rin wiggled in the heartless' grasp. She looked to the ground and saw the Heartstaff lying a few feet away. "I can't. I dropped my staff."

Donald gave her a look that made her feel like an idiot. "How could you lose your staff?"

"I'm still a novice," Rin said as the heartless suddenly lurched to the left. "And that doesn't even matter now. Somebody save me!"

Goofy and Sora backed away with worried looks on their faces. "I don't want to strike it while it has Rin," Sora said. "What if it uses Rin as a shield?"

"Gawrsh," Goofy said as he held his shield up. "What do we do?"

"Let her go, Clayton," Sora yelled.

Clayton was unresponsive, apparently in his own little world.

The heartless tightened its hold on Rin. "Okay," Rin wheezed. "Getting hard to breath."

Jiminy crawled on top of her shoulder. "Oh, dear."

"You might want to abandon ship, Jiminy," Rin panted, "or you might be crushed too."

"I'm not leaving you," Jiminy said. He took a deep breath. "This is not going to be pleasant."

Then, to Rin's surprise, Jiminy bit the heartless' tail...hard.

The heartless roared, surprised by the bug bite. It hurled Rin and Jiminy to the ground. Rin grabbed Jiminy mid-air and held him to her chest so that she would take the full force of the fall. What little breath she still had in her left in a loud whoosh. She lay there a few moments trying to regain her breath.

"Are you okay?" Jiminy asked.

Rin nodded as she started to breathe easily again. "Yes," she kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks to you."

Jiminy turned bright red as he kicked some dirt. "It was nothing. Just glad I could be of help."

Rin started when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Sora was beside her. His worried expression turned to one of relief. "I'm so glad you're okay. I'm sorry I couldn't..."

"It's okay," Rin said. "There was nothing you could do." She scooped Jiminy up and set him on her shoulder. Once he was secure, she turned her attention to the battlefield where Donald and Goofy were holding their own. "Now, let's take this guy down."

Sora grinned. "I'm right there with you."

They charged forward. With the combination of all four attacks, the heartless could take it anymore. It fell over with a loud thud that shook the earth. A pool of darkness appeared underneath it dragging both the heartless and Clayton into it.

Once they were gone, Kerchak and the other gorillas appeared. Kerchak looked Sora up and down once, then picked him up and threw him. Before Sora even had a chance to yell, he landed on a patch of grass.

"Well, you're welcome to you too," Sora mumbled as he stood up. Three loud oofs behind him alerted him that his comrades had just arrived.

"They could have said thank you," Donald grumbled as he picked himself up.

"What better way to say thank you than by throwing you as far as they can." Rin rolled her eyes as Goofy and she stood up as well. Tarzan appeared beside them with Jane in his arms and Terk following him.

He set Jane on her feet. "Tarzan, home." He pointed to the waterfalls ahead of them.

"Oh, now I get it," Sora said, "by throwing us up here, they were letting us know that they appreciated our help and trusted us."

"You're welcome!" Goofy yelled as he waved to the gorillas down below. Kerchak nodded before signaling to the gorillas to leave.

"How are you feeling?" Rin asked as Jane straightened out her skirt.

"Much better thank you." She glanced up to see Tarzan grinning as he motioned for them to follow. "Now, how about we go see Tarzan's home?"

* * *

After climbing the slick rock walls, they entered a cavern behind the highest waterfall. The inside was made of smooth damp rock. One of the walls was completely covered in vines. In the center of that wall, was a massive group of bright blue butterflies.

"Wow," Rin said. "They are so pretty."

Tarzan grunted as he motioned around the cavern.

Sora frowned. "Wait, this is your home?" His shoulders drooped. "But that means…" He was interrupted by a loud roar.

"Huh?" Goofy looked from side to side.

"What is that?" Donald quacked.

"The waterfalls," Jane mused. "They're echoing all the way up here."

Tarzan motioned to Sora's chest. "Oh, oh, ah. Friends there." He motioned around the room. "See friends."

"Oh," Jane said as she snapped her fingers. "Now I've got it. Oh, oh, ah means heart. Friends in ours hearts."

"Heart," Tarzan smiled, liking the sound of the word.

"Oh," Sora said, "so that's what it meant."

Tarzan nodded. "Friends, same heart. Clayton, lose heart. No heart, no see friends."

Sora sighed as he turned toward Donald. "Hey Donald, sorry about what I said earlier."

"Aww," Donald said as Sora and he hugged. "I'm sorry too."

Goofy grinned as he draped her arms over them. "Yeah, remember all for one and one for all!"

Rin grinned as she watched them. Goofy motioned her over. "Come on, Rin! It's a group hug."

"Yeah," Sora said. "It can't be complete if the whole group doesn't join in."

_That's right, _Rin thought as she joined them. _I guess we all are friends._

The butterflies scattered as a blue light appeared underneath them. The blue light formed into a keyhole. Instinctively, Sora held the Keyblade toward the keyhole. A beam of light shot out from it and hit the keyhole.

At the same moment the keyhole clicked, the sphere in the Heartstaff flashed green for a second then returned to normal. Rin quickly hid the staff behind her back hoping no one would notice.

Once the keyhole vanished, a green block fell to the floor with a clink.

Donald picked it up and grinned. "Would you look at that. It's another gummi."

"But it's sure not the king's," Goofy frowned.

Terk nudged Donald playfully and batted her eyes.

"What does she want?" Donald asked.

"I think someone has a new admirer," Jane said.

Rin grinned evilly. "Donald's got a girlfriend."

Donald gave her a glare. She had a feeling that the next magic lesson with him was going to be horrible.

"Oh no, no, no!" He said as he waved his arms in protest. "Daisy would kill me!"

Everyone broke into laughter.

* * *

"The gummi block that fell from that glowing hole and the one in Wonderland... they're not like the others. Wonder what they're used for." Sora said. It took them a little bit; but they were able to locate their gummy ship.

"I don't know." Donald flipped a switch.

"Maybe Leon will know." Goofy hit his fist in his palm.

"Hmm, back to Traverse Town then?" Donald asked.

"Donald," Sora said with a huge grin, "can I fly the gummi ship?"

Donald's face turned bright red.

Rin's eye twitched.

Goofy glared.

"Sora," they yelled.

Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "What? I thought since I was the Keyblade master, I should be able to fly the gummi."

Donald's face changed from red to purple.

Rin rolled her eyes and slapped her forehead. "Here we go again…"

* * *

L.A.: That's the end of the chapter! Next chapter should be really interesting. You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	14. Real Adventurers Don't Need Hot Showers

Real Adventurers Don't Need Hot Showers

* * *

L.A.: Sorry everyone! I am so late updating this. I've just been busy with school. I do plan to finish this story though. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did then I wouldn't have to do homework...

* * *

Malificent drummed her fingers in annoyance. The meeting was running longer than usual and she was starting to wish she hadn't joined with these idiots.

The others were staring intently at her crystal ball in the middle of the room. It projected the Keyblade master and his comrades celebrating their win over the heartless.

"What drew the Heartless to that world?" Jafar asked as he stroked his chin.

"The hunter lured them there." Malificent said. "It was his lust for power that was the bait. But it seems the bait was too tasty for his own good."

Oogie Boogie laughed. "Yeah, he got chomped instead!"

Jafar brought his hands together. "A weak-hearted fool like him stood no chance against the Heartless. But the boy is a problem. He found one of the Keyholes."

Maleficent's crow hopped toward her. She reached out and stroked the crow. "Fear not. It will take him ages to find the rest." She motioned to the crystal ball. "Besides, he remains blissfully unaware of our other plan."

Oogie Boogie grinned evily. "Yes, the princesses..."

"They are falling into our hands, one by one." Malifcent turned toward the door as Wolf entered with a scared young blonde hair girl trailing behind.

Malificent smiled. "Speaking of which..."

* * *

Rin yawned as she stretched her back. "Ah, it's so good to be out of that ship. I can't wait until I can take a nice long shower and sleep in a comfy bed."

"Not yet," Donald said. "We still have to talk with Leon."

"What," Rin said, "No hot shower?"

"Later," Sora said. "Besides, don't you want to know about the gummy block?"

"Not really," Rin grumbled.

"Why don'tcha go back to the hotel room and wait for us there?" Goofy asked.

"No, now I feel bad," Rin said. "Let's just go."

* * *

It took them awhile, but they were finally able to find Leon. He and Aerith were in the Secret Waterway in the Second District.

"I didn't even know this place existed," Rin said as she marveled at the spacious room.

Leon leaned against his sword. "I heard you found the Keyhole."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, the Keyblade locked it automatically."

"That's good to hear," Aerith said.

"Every world among the stars has a Keyhole," Leon said. "And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well."

"What makes you say that?" Sora asked.

It was in Ansem's report," Aerith said.

"Ansem?" Rin asked.

"He's that fella who studied the heartless," Goofy said. "You remember, Aerith told us."

"They weren't there, you big palooka," Donald grumbled. "It was just us."

"Anyway," Leon said, "the Heartless enter through the Keyhole and attack the world's core."

"What happens to the world?" Sora asked

Aerith bowed his head. "In the end, it disappears."

"What" Goofy, Donald, Sora, and Rin said in disbelief.

"That's why your key is so important," Leon said.

"Please lock the Keyholes," Aerith added. "You're the only one who can."

Sora nodded. "Don't worry, we will." Sora held up the gummi block. "Hey Leon, this gummi block's different from the others. Do you know what it's for?"

Leon shrugged.

Ask Cid," Aerith said, "he should know."

"Thanks," Sora said as he waved. "See you around."

* * *

"What've you got there?" Cid asked.

They were back in Cid's Accessory Shop. Regardless of the fact that the heartless had invaded all the other districts, his shop looked as if nothing had happened.

Sora held up the gummy block.

Cid grinned. "A gummi block."

"What's this one for?" Goofy asked.

Cid raised his eyebrows. "You're kidding me. You're flying a gummi ship and you don't know about navigation gummis?"

"There's a lot we don't know," Sora said, " but we have to use the gummi ship to go to other worlds. We don't have a choice."

"Well, I guess could lend you a hand, then," Cid said.

"That would be great," Rin said.

Cid cleared his throat as he attempted to sound more gruff. "Basically, with navigation gummis, you can go to new places. You want one on your ship, right?"

Donald and Goofy nodded.

"I'll install it for you," Cid said, "but I got this thing I gotta go deliver first."

"What do you need to deliver?" Sora asked.

"Just this book. It's real old." Cid said as he held up a book. It was leatherbound with gold leathers.

"A book?" Rin said as her eyes lit up.

Everyone looked at her funny.

"What," Rin said. "I like books."

Cid set the book on the counter. "When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was. But overall, I did a decent job putting it back together. Anyway, you mind delivering it for me? It's the old house past the Third District. Look for a big fire sign."

"Sure we don't mind," Sora said. He reached for it, but Rin beat him to it. "Really?"

"I'll take care of it," Rin said. "You've got a lot to do anyway."

"Right," Sora said, "And along the way you're going to read it."

"Maybe…" Rin said.

"Just be careful with it," Cid said. "I don't want to fix it again."

Everyone jumped when the ground shook followed by a bell ringing.

Wh-What was that?" Sora asked.

"That's strange," Cid said. "The bell at the gizmo shop is ringing. Go check it out if you want." He pointed to the book. "But deliver that book for me first. When you're done, stop by the house in the Third District. I'll be there."

* * *

The Third District was quiet. They weren't sure why the heartless weren't wandering about but they did enjoy the reprieve.

"How's the book?" Goofy asked.

Rin sighed as she closed the book. "Confusing. The words are all jumbled up and some pages are even blank." She paused as her eyes drifted toward the alley off to her right. In there, she had started this journey. In there, she had met a heartless that didn't make any sense. A heartless was supposed to hurt people not help them. _Why did he help me? _She thought.

A hand on her shoulder startled her thoughts. Sora was standing next to her, concerned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "Sorry just spacing out."

"Come on," Donald said as he tapped his foot impatiently. "Let's get going, already." He walked away with Goofy right behind him.

"He's in a bad mood," Sora said.

"I think he needs that hot shower more than me," Rin said.

They both laughed as they quickly followed Goofy and Donald.

* * *

Up on the rooftops, Riku and Wolf watched the quartet down below. Even though he attempted to hide it, he couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of Rin laughing. He immediately became alert though when he felt Riku stiffen beside him.

"Something on your mind?" Wolf asked.

"Sora seems to be doing well," Riku said, his arms crossed and his expression neutral.

"You jealous?" Wolf asked.

"No," Riku said. "I just thought they'd be more worried."

"You should go talk to them," Wolf said.

Riku's eyes narrowed. "What's the catch?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You and Malificent. You help me and want nothing in return?"

Wolf turned away from him. "Malificent just wants what's best for you."

Rin glanced back at the now empty district. "Then thanks... I guess." He turned to look at Wolf but the heartless was already gone.

* * *

L.A.: Short, I know, but I thought it was better to put out something than nothing at all. I'll try to update sooner. Anyway, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	15. Reunion

Reunion

* * *

L.A.: So, I know it's been forever but my semester has been crazy busy. Luckily, I have some time up so I'm hoping to get back into a rhythm of updating my stories. Hope you like it!

* * *

Sora stared around the small house, a feeling of disappointment running through him. He had expected something grand and mysterious after finding the secret passage to it. Instead, they had found a vacant dusty small hut.

"There's something about this musty place,"a young female voice said.

Sora's eyes widened. That hadn't been Rin talking. He turned around and saw Kairi trailing her hand across the windowsill.

"It reminds me of the secret place back home where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?"

There was no way she could be there. Still, Sora had to make sure.

"Kairi?" he whispered.

A hand on his shoulder startled him. "Sora?" Rin asked.

Sora looked back to the windowsill. Kairi was gone.

"I'm fine," Sora said as he shook his head. "Must be a little tired."

Donald's quack caused both of them to look up.

A man with a long white beard and a pointed blue hat stood before them. In his hand was a suitcase.

"Well, well," the man said, "you've arrived sooner than I expected."

Sora frowned. "You knew we were coming?"

The man nodded. "But of course."

Rin and Sora traded glances. "Are you a heartless?" Rin asked.

Donald squinted at him. "He doesn't look like one"

The man chuckled. "Oh, my no. My name is Merlin. As you can see, I'm a sorcerer."

Sora wasn't too sure about that. The man looked as if he were wearing a dress.

"I spened most of my time traveling" Merlin continued as he sat his suitcase down. It's good to be home."

He turned toward Goofy and Donald. "Your king has requested my help."

"King Mickey?" Goofy asked.

Merlin nodded. "Yes, indeed. You two must be Goofy and Donald and…" He frowned at Rin and Sora. "Oh dear, I'm afraid I don't know you two."

"I'm Sora," Sora said. He pointed at Rin. "She's Rin."

"Howdy," Rin said with a slight wave.

"What did the king ask you to do?" Donald asked.

"Just a moment." Merlin opens his bag and taps it. "Presto!"

Furniture, lamps, and odds and ends, flew out of the bag. They whirled around the room nearly colliding with people at times. Eventually they settled down.

Looking around, Sora noticed that the area now looked like a cozy study.

"There, now," Merlin said, looking pleased with himself. "As to your question. Your king asked me to train you in the art of magic."

"Right now?" Rin said, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Heavens no," Merlin said. "You lot must be tired from traveling. However, before you leave for the next world, I would like to train you in a couple of spells."

Rin relaxed while Donald snickered.

"Lazy," Donald whispered.

"Am not," Rin whispere back with a glare.

"Thanks," Sora said. "We'll definitely take you up on that.

"I do not know how much help I can be, but do stop by anytime."

Rin nodded. Her eyes widened as she remembered the book in her hands. "Oh, Cid asked us to give this to you."

She handed the book over to Merlin.

"Thank you," Merlin said. "Do you wish to know what kind of book it is?"

"I was a little curious," Rin said. "It didn't make much sense."

"To be honest, I don't really know much about it myself. In fact, it's not even min. Somehow it found its way into my bag one day. It was a curious book so I asked Cid to repair it for me." Merlin placed it on a nearby pedestal. "Please give Cid my thanks."

Sora nodded. "Come guys. Let's go back to the hotel."

Merlin returned to musing over the book as the door closed. After a moment, he realized he wasn't alone.

"I'm assuming you wanted to ask me something that you didn't want the others to hear?" He asked.

He turned around and saw Rin watching him. Jiminy was perched on her shoulder looking curious.

"Uh, yes," Rin said. "I was wondering… can heartless be good?"

Merlin frowned. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're asking?"

"The heartless," Rin said. "Is it possible for a heartless to want to protect someone? To not want to steal hearts?"

Merlin stroked his beard. "The heartless soul purpose was to steal hearts to replace the one that they lost. So, I don't think they can necessarily be good. Why do you ask?"

Rin shook her head. "It's nothing. Thanks for your time."

Rin quickly left. She hurried to catch up with the others. Once they were out of earshot, Jiminy cleared his throat.

"You're thinking about the heartless from the Jungle, aren't you?"

"There's was something about him, Jiminy," Rin said. "I don't know… It was like I was seeing an old friend."

* * *

When they reached the Third District, Sora and the others were already waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" Donald asked.

"I just had a question about magic," Rin said.

Jiminy frowned. "Rin," he whispered. "You shouldn't lie."

"You couldn't ask me?" Donald frowned. "I know magic too."

Rin grinned sheepishly. "Uh, well you see…"

Suddenly a group of soldier heartless materlize in front of them.

"Perfect timing as usual," Sora said as he pulled out the keyblade.

Before they could react, a streak of black ran past the heartless. They instantly de-materliazed.

"Uh, what was that?" Rin said. She still had her Heartstaff out just in case it was a trap.

"After saving you that's all the thanks I get?" a voice said.

Rin turned in the direction of the voice, a look of disbelief on her face.

Riku stood before them. He grinned as he crossed his arms.

"Riku," Rin said, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Riku!" Sora said as he rushed forward. He immediately grabbed Riku's face and began to pull it.

"Hey cut it out," Riku asid. "What are you doing?"

Sora let go of Riku's face. "I'm not dreaming this time, right?"

"Not exactly sure what that means but I hope not," Riku said. "It took forever to find you."

Riku grinned as he noticed Rin. "Glad to see you're okay."

Rin's face turned bright red. _I almost forgot how cute Riku was. _"Y-yeah," she stuttered. "Same to you." Rin mentally slapped herself. _And now, I've just made myself look like a bigger idiot._

Sora's expression darknened as he looked from Riku and Rin. It disappeared a moment later when he remembered something. "Wait a second. Where's Kairi?"

Riku frowned. "Isn't she with you?" Seeing both Rin's and Sora's panicked expressions, he quickly added. "Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island, too. Hey, she might even be looking for us now."

Rin frowned as she noticed a dark pool under a steetlamp. It slowly formed into a shadow heartless behind Riku. She glanced at Sora. He seemed to have noticed it too.

"We'll all be together again soon," Riku said as the heartless approached him. Rin was about to warn him when Riku cut her off. "Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this…"

He was cut off as Sora quicky shot past him and destroyed the heartless. Riku stared at him, stunned.

Sora smirked and hefted the Keyblade onto his shoulder. "Leave it to who?"

Riku shook his head. "Sora, what did you…"

"Rin and I have been looking for you and Kairi, too." He jerked his thumb toward Donald and Goofy. "With their help?"

"Who are they?" Riku said with a raised eyebrow.

Donald cleared his throat as he took a step forward. "My name is…"

"We visited many places and worlds," Rin interrupted causing Donald to glare at her, "looking for you."

"It's true," Sora said as he placed a hand on Riku's shoulder. "We've gone to several crazy worlds just searching for you."

"Really," Riku grinned. "Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed."

"Why wouldn't we look for you," Rin said. "You're important to us." She blushed as she quickly added. "And Kairi. Both of you are important." She quickly averted her gaze as her hands clinched tightly to the bottom of her shirt.

"Oh, and guess what?" Goofy said. Rin was thankful he broke the awkward silence. "Sora's the Keyblade master."

Donald snickered. "Who would've thought it?

Sora glared at him. "What does that mean?"

Sora was so focused on Donald he failed to notice Riku take the Keyblade from his hand.

"So," Riku said as he examined the sword. "This is the Keyblade."

Sora's eyes widened. "Hey, give it back." He tried to grab the Keyblade but Riku dodged his many attempts.

Rin frowned. "How do you know about it?"

She noticed Riku tense at her question as if he were caught off guard. He quickly relaxed as he tossed the Keyblade back to Sora.

"Catch."

Sora caught it but not before sticking his tongue out at him.

"Real mature," Riku said.

While Riku and Sora continued bantering, Rin couldn't help but worry. _Why did he avoid my question? _She shook her head. _I'm just reading too much into this. That's got to be it. Riku's are friend. He wouldn't do anything to hurt us._

"Okay," Sora said, snapping Rin out of her musings. "So, you're coming with us, right? We've an awesome rocket. Wait 'til you see it."

"He can't come," Donald said.

Sora stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Why not?" Rin whined.

"Forget it," Donald said as he shook his head.

"But he's our friend," Sora said.

"I don't care," Donald said. "The gummy ship is crowded as it is."

"Uh guys," Goofy said.

"The gummy ship is huge," Rin said. "That's not an excuse."

"He'll slow us down," Donald said.

"Uh, guys…" Goofy said, a little louder this time.

"No he won't," Sora said. "He'll be an extra hand when dealing with the heartless."

"Guys!" Goofy said nearly yelling.

"What!" Donald, Sora, and Rin said as they turned to look at him.

"Uh well," Goofy said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I thought you'd like to know. He's gone."

"What?" Rin said.

Everyone looked around but Riku was gone without a trace.

Donald grinned sheepishly as Rin and Sora glared at him.

"Nice going," Rin said.

"Well at least he's okay," Sora said. "Maybe this means we'll run into Kairi, as well." A dopey grin appeared on his face. It disappeared a moment later. "Anyway, let's head back to the hotel and see if Cid's got our gummi ship ready."

* * *

Riku and Wolf stared the hotel across the street but made no move to go inside. Lights were on and they could hear laughter from within.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves," Wolf said.

Riku shrugged.

"Why won't you join them?" Wolf asked.

"I have my reasons," Riku said.

"I see that it's just as I told you," a voice said behind them.

Wolf and Riku turned to see Malificent standing behind them. Wolf noted that her smile seemd even more sinister than usual.

"While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, he values them more than he does you. " She said as she placed a comforting hand on Riku's shoulder. "And the girl, Rin was it?"

Wolf's ears perked as he glared at Malificent. What was she doing bringing Rin into this.

"What about her?" Riku asked.

"She's barely friends with your group yet Sora seems to have allowed her to replace your friend Kairi."

Riku's expression darkened. "Replace Kairi?"

Wolf growled. Malificent was toying with Riku. That was obvious. But, did she have to bring Rin into the mix?

Malificent walked away from Riku. "You're better off with out that wretched boy." A dark portal materialized in front of her. She motioned to it. "Now, think no more of him and come with me." She smiled. "I'll help you find what you're searching for…"

Riku glanced back at the hotel once before nodding. He stepped through the dark portal.

Malificent was about to follow when Wolf stepped in front of her.

"Problems?" She asked.

"Why did you bring Rin into this," Wolf said. "We both agreed she didn't have the ability to ruin your plans."

"Yet, she seems to have some hold over you," Malificent said. "I did it for insurance."

"Insurance?" Wolf cocked his head.

"I don't have time to look after the boy," Malificent said. "So, you will watch my pawn." She smirked. "And, what better reason to watch him if you knew he may come after your precious Rin one day."

Malificent laughed as she passed him. "You should get those silly notions of hope out of your head." She turned back to look at him. "You are still useful to me. As long as you are useful, you belong to me."

* * *

Rin sighed as she towel dried her hair. After returning to the hotel, they found that Cid, Yuffie, Leon and Aerith were waiting for them. Cid thanked them for returning the book and told them that the gummy ship wouldn't be ready till the next day.

Donald decided that they would take Merlin's offer to train in magic in the morning. Rin figured it was because he wanted to see if he was better at magic than Merlin.

They were also learned of the witch Maleficent. She was responsible for the heartless outbreak. Once again, she wasn't surprised when she heard the name. She didn't know if she was just getting used to strange events occurring or something else.

Jiminy was sitting on her bedside table when she entered. He was furiously scribbling away in his notebook. He barely acknowledged her presence.

He had been angry at her for lying to the others. She figured it was time to clear the air.

"Jiminy, I know you're upset that I didn't tell the others about the heartless."

"I'm not upset that you didn't tell them," Jiminy said, refusing to look up from his notebook. "I'm upset that you lied to them."

"Why is it a big deal?" Rin said. "It was just a little one."

Jiminy set down his notebook and crossed his arms. "They always start out little but the more you tell, the bigger they get. Eventually you'll be swallowed up by your own lies." Jiminy's expression saddened as he muttered. "That's why I always told Pinochio to never lie."

"You've mentioned that name before," Rin said, suddenly curious. "Who's Pinocchio?"

Jiminy perked up. "Oh, he's a wooden puppet who was brought to life by the blue fairy." He smiled as his eyes grew distant. "He wants to be a real boy so I became his concience." His expression saddened again. "I haven't seen him since our world was swallowed by darkness."

"Oh," Rin said, suddenly feeling guilty.

A moment later, Rin sighed. "I'm sorry for lying, Jiminy. It's just that I'm used to dealing with problems by myself."

"But friends can help you," Jiminy said.

"I know that," Rin said. "It's just… Please, I want to keep this a secret for a while."

Jiminy was silent for a moment. He shrugged before returning to writing. "I won't say anything unless they ask."

Rin smiled. "Thanks, Jiminy."

Jiminy checked his watch. "Oh my, it's late. We should be getting to bed."

"I think I'll go outside for a moment," Rin said. "Fresh air helps me sleep."

"Be careful," Jiminy said. He hopped off her bedside table and went to bed.

* * *

As she stepped outside, she saw she wasn't alone. Sora was leaning against the railing looking out over the 2nd district.

"I see I'm not the only one who came out for the night air," Rin said as she approached him.

Sora turned and grinned. "Yeah, helps me clear my head."

"Still worried about Riku?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, I hope he's okay," Sora said.

"He's Riku," Rin said, a faint pink tinge on her cheeks. "He'll be fine."

They were silent for a moment.

"You like Riku, don't you?" Sora asked, a sly grin on his face.

Her blush deepened. "Is it that obvious?"

"You don't have to worry," Sora said. "Riku's really oblivious."

"Uh, thanks?" Rin said, unsure of how to respond. "And you like Kairi," Rin added.

Sora winced. "Is it that obvious?"

Rin laughed. "Look at us. We're both terrible when it comes to crushes."

"Seems, like we have a lot in common," Sora added.

They were interrupted by a loud bell ringing through the air. They covered their ears until the ringing stopped.

"That bell," Rin said. "They really ought to fix it."

* * *

L.A.: That's it for this chapter. You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	16. Don't Ring the Bell

Don't Ring The Bell

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L.A.: Yes, I updated in a week! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Rin sighed as she watched Merlin work with Goofy, Sora, and Donald. She was taking a "breather" after accidentally setting Donald on fire…again. It wasn't her fault that he kept getting in the way of her fire spells.

So, now Merlin was teaching Sora how to use summoning stones. He was learning how to summon a lion named Simba and a small dragon named Mushu. She wasn't sure how helpful they'd be in battle. In fact, they only thing she had found helpful so far was that Merlin believed the Heartstaff might have the capability to fly. That would be fun.

If only the Heartstaff were easier to wield. She sighed as something caught her attention. It was the book. It still sat on the pillar. She wasn't sure why she was so fascinated with that book. She reached out and opened it. Once again, it didn't make sense.

_Remember the light in the darkest hour._

_Remember not to let your memories sour._

_Remember the answers are within your power._

_Remember, remember, but please don't forget,_

_An ace up your sleeve is always a best bet._

"You're quite fascinated with that book, aren't you?" Merlin said, causing her to start. She hadn't noticed him approaching her.

"Uh, yeah," She said as she quickly closed the book. "I'm not sure why though."

Merlin tapped his chin. "We are often given knowledge before we know how to use it."

Rin frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

Merlin chuckled. "Oh, it's just a little phrase my mentor taught me."

Sora sighed as he came to sit beside her. "Man, I'm beat. Magic's hard."

They all winced as the bell rang again, shaking the entire house.

"Geez," Donald said. "What is wrong with that bell?"

"I've been thinking about the 2nd District Bell," Merlin said.

"Was that the one that just rang?" Rin asked.

Merlin nodded. "Yes, it's above the gizmo shop. There's a legend about it, actually."

"What's the legend?" Goofy asked.

"If you ring it three times then something will happen," Merlin tapped his chin. "Confound it. I wish I could remember what it was."

"No matter," Sora said. "We'll go try it out ourselves."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to go investigate something that we know nothing about?"

Sora crossed his arms. "Do you really want to hear that bell every time we come here?"

Rin paused. "Point taken."

* * *

They reached the bell and found that it was boarded up.

"We could probably pull these boards away," Sora said.

"Um, don't you think those boards are there for a reason?" Rin asked.

"If we can't pry them then, we can burn them," Donald said.

"Am I the only sane person here?" Rin said.

"Relax Rin," Sora said, "This'll be fun."

"Sure," Rin said as she crossed her arms. "That mindset works out well for us."

After a couple of minutes, they were able to pry the boards away. The bell was huge compared to the rest of the tower.

Sora grinned as he rubbed his hands together. "Okay, here goes." He rang the bell three times. They all winced as the sound echoed throughtout the district.

"Next time warn us before you do that," Donald said as he rubbed his temples.

"Look," Goofy said as he pointed down toward the courtyard. "Isn't that a keyhole down there?"

A keyhole was glowing in the far wall of the courtyard.

"Wow," Rin said, "that actually worked in our favor?"

"Why do you ever doubt me?" Sora said. "Now, let's go seal that keyhole."

* * *

They approached the courtyard, weapons drawn just incase. So far, it seemed Sora was right.

"I can't believe this," Rin said. "This is it? We're just going to walk up to that keyhole without any trouble?"

"Come on Rin," Sora said. "Take advantage of it. It won't always be that easy."

A rumble filled the air as the ground shook. A guard armor dropped down in front of them, blocking their access to the keyhole.

"See," Rin said as she pulled out the Heartstaff. "I knew it couldn't be that easy."

"Well," Sora said as he brandished the keyblade. "At least, we're prepared."

They charged at the guard armor. Sora struck the armor with the keyblade while Donald followed with a thunder spell. The armor flopped to the ground.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said as they eyed the armor warily. "Did we beat it?"

"It can't be that easy," Rin said.

The guard armor shook and glowed. It lifted into the air.

"Would you quit saying that," Donald said as they backed away from the armor. "You're just making everything worse."

The feet became the arms and vice versa. The group dodged and weaved between the giant armor.

"Hey Rin," Donald said after shooting off a fire spell at one of the feet. "Time to practice that new spell Merlin taught us."

"Rin dodged an arm. "You want to do that now?"

"As your teacher, I require you to practice this spell," Donald said as he sent another fire spell flying to an arm.

Rin was about to say something when a giant foot came hurtling down on her. She brought the Heartstaff above her head and shouted. "Aeros!"

A whirlwind cocoon surrounded her, deflecting the foot away from her.

"Not bad," Donald said.

"Really?" Rin said as she bought the Heartstaff down and dematerialized the cocoon. "You're grading me now?"

"Uh, Goofy and I need a little help here," Sora said as he dodged a swipe.

After a few more blows, the opposite armor went down. A heart floated away as the armor dematerialized.

With the armor now gone, Sora locked the keyhole with the Keyblade. They breathed a sigh a relief when they heard the keyhole locked.

"Wow," Rin said, "some break, huh?"

"I think we need a vacation from our vacation," Sora added.

"Oh yeah," Goofy said, "Aren't we supposed to go pick up the gummi ship today?"

Everyone groaned.

* * *

L.A.: Sorry, I know it's short. I cut out some stuff and moved it around but at least I got it out in time. Well, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	17. Into the Desert

Into the Desert

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L.A.: After a little delay, here's the next chapter!

* * *

_Sora was on Destiny Isles again. How he had missed it. The rolling surf, the white sand beaches, the warm sun... Why had he taken this place for granted?_

_He sighed as he closed his eyes enjoying the sun. A moment later, he opened his eyes as a thought occurred to him. Where was everyone?_

_He was on the small island now. The island where the papou trees grew. The sun was setting and he noticed a girl sitting on the tree trunk in front of them. _Kairi, _he thought._

_He grinned as he grabbed a papou fruit. He was going to finally confess his feelings for her. He approached her and tapped her shoulder. She turned to face him._

_It wasn't Kairi though. It was Rin._

_Instead of being surprised, his smile grew bigger as he took a bite from the fruit and he handed it to her. She smiled as well. She was about to take a bite…_

* * *

"I don't like her like that," Sora said as he sat up straight, panting.

"Okay," Donald said, looking at Sora as if he were an idiot. "Whatever you say."

Looking around, Sora saw he was on the Gummi Ship. He must have fallen asleep.

He turned around when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Rin frowned. "Hey are you okay?"

Seeing her made him blush. "Uh, yeah, sure. Just dreamed I was married to a witch, weird huh?"

"Yeah it is," Rin said, though she didn't look completely convinced.

Sora sighed as he leaned back in his seat. What had that dream been about? He liked Kairi not Rin.

Sure Rin was special in her own way. She was funny, sweet, and kind but that didn't mean he was in love with her.

_Why are dreams so complicated? _He thought.

"Land ahead," Goofy said.

* * *

Wolf watched as Maleficent and a wicked looking man named Jafar talked. They were in the land of Agrabah searching for something important for Maleficent's plan. Judging by Maleficent's smile, they were close to finding it.

Riku shifted his weight beside Wolf, obviously impatient.

Wolf was worried about the boy. If you just looked at Riku, he seemed fine however, Wolf could smell the darkness slowly wrapping itself around him.

Though he didn't know the boy well, he still didn't want the boy to be lost to darkness. If there was only a way to slow the process down…

"And the Keyhole?" Maleficent asked causing Wolf to snap out of his reveleries.

"The Heartless are searching for it now. I'm certain we'll find it soon enough. So, that just leaves…"

Jafar was interrupted by the squack of a loud fat red parrot. His name was Iago if Wolf remembered correctly.

"Jafar! I've looked everywhere for Jasmine. She's disappeared…like magic."

Jafar sighed. "The girl is more trouble than she's worth."

Maleficent's gaze narrowed. "You said you had things under control."

"Agrabah is full of holes for rats to hide in," Jafar said. He didn't seem concerned. "But why worry about Princess Jasmine? With or without her, surely this world will be ours when we find the Keyhole."

"We need all seven princesses of heart to open the final door. Any fewer is useless."

Wolf's ears perked. This was the first he had heard of princesses and a final door. What was Maleficent planning?

"Well, if the princess is that important, we'll find her." He snapped his fingers and a Heartless appeared beside him. "Find Jasmine," He said to the heartless. "Bring her to me at once."

The Heartless nodded before disappearing.

"Don't steep yourself in the darkness too long," Malifcent said. "The Heartless consume the careless."

Jafar laughed. "Your concern is touching but hardly necessary."

Wolf sniffed the air. There was someone else there. Turning in the direction of the scent, he saw a young girl with long raven hair and dressed in blue quickly hide behind a barrel. She had a tiara on her head. She stared at him intently.

He growled slightly and she took off running.

"Something wrong?" Riku asked.

"Nothing," Wolf said as he turned his attention back to Malificent and Jafar. "Just a rat."

* * *

"Wow," Rin said as she fanned herself. "It's sure is hot."

"Well, we are in a desert," Donald said.

"Jungles, deserts, creepy grinning cat worlds," Rin sighed. "We just can't catch a break, huh?"

"It wouldn't be an adventure then, would it?"Sora said.

As they turned the corner into an alleyway, some barrels shook at the far end. Everyone withdrew their weapons.

"Hello?" a young slightly scared female voice called out.

"Who's there?" Donald called out.

A young girl with raven hair stepped out from behind the barrels. "I'm Jasmine," she said. "My father is the sultan of Agrabah."

"Uh," Goofy scratched his head. "So that makes you a princess?"

Jasmine studied them for a moment. "You're not working for Jafar, are you?"

"Who's Jafar?" Rin asked.

"He was the royal vizier, but he put my father in jail and now controls the city."

"How did he do that?" Sora sked.

"He gained some sort of evil power…Heartless I think he called it. He's desperately looking for something he calls a keyhole. Jafar caught me trying to escape, but…" Her eyes had a dreamy look to them. "…he helped me."

"Who helped you?" Goofy asked.

Jasmine still had a dreamy look in her eye. "We were hiding nearby, but he left a while ago to take care of something…" She sighed. "I hope Aladdin's all right."

"Aladdin?" a voice said behind them. "Where might I find this street rat?"

They turned to face the speaker. One look and Rin could tell it was Jafar.

"Jasmine," he said. "Allow me to find you more suitable company, my dear princess. These little rats won't do, you see."

Sora stood protectively in front of her. His Keyblade raised. "Jasmine run."

Jasmine nodded and took off running. The others came to stand beside Sora.

"Ah, the boy who holds the key," Jafar snapped his fingers as several heartless materialized infront of him. "Sadly I don't have time for you." He motioned to the Heartless. "Take care of them." He left.

They charged at the heartless. It didn't take long to dispose of them.

Rin sighed. "Ever notice that the bad guys always send minions to do their work?"

"They wouldn't be bad guys if they didn't," Sora said.

"Hey," Goofy said as he pointed to a small building. It looked like someone lived inside. "There something going on in there."

They listened and could hear rustling sounds coming from inside.

"Could be a heartless," Rin said.

"Or it could be someone in trouble," Sora said. "Come on. Let's check it out."

Once they went inside, they found the source of the noise. It was a carpet flapping frantically underneath a wardrobe.

"Is that what I think it is?" Rin said.

"Looks like it," Sora said.

"A real magic carpet," Rin said.

"Well let's free it," Sora said, "It might be able to help us."

They moved the wardrobe. As soon as it was free, the Carpet sprung ino the air. It wrapped itself around each one of them as if it were giving them a hug.

"You're welcome," Rin laughed.

It flew to the window. It motioned to the desert then motioned to them.

"I think it wants us to go with it," Donald said.

"To the desert?" Rin asked.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said, "it must be important if it wants us to come."

"Then let's go," Sora said. "Maybe it'll lead us to Aladdin and the Keyhole."

"Oh boy," Rin said. "Into the desert, fun…"

* * *

L.A.: Hopefully I can update next week. You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	18. Guessing Game

Guessing Game

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L.A.: Sorry for taking so long to update. Classes started again so I will be updating sporadically. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The carpet ride was long and hot. Rin's face was tingling so she was pretty sure it was burnt. The others weren't fairing well either. Goofy was passed out and Donald was a blood red.

Suddenly the sky darkened as they approached a sand dune.

"What's going on over there?" Sora asked causing the others to stir.

The sand dune suddenly turned into a tiger face with glowing eyes.

"That can't be good," Rin said.

Carpet landed in front of it. They hopped off and approached the sand dune.

"I wonder why it brought us here," Goofy said.

They turned the corner and saw a black haired tan skinned boy and a monkey trapped in quicksand with heartless surrounding them.

"That must be why," Sora said as they pulled out their weapons.

They quickly took care of the heartless. Rin and Sora each reached a hand toward the boy.

"Here," Rin said. "Take our hands and we'll help you out."

The boy's eyes widened as he pointed behind them. "Look out!"

They turned around to see more heartless materialize in front of them.

"Gawrsh, not again," Goofy said.

Rin and Sora quickly helped the boy out of the quicksand before turning to help Goofy and Donald.

The boy stopped them. "Leave it to me." He pulled out a golden oil lamp and rubbed it. "Genie, get rid of these guys!"

A giant blue man materialized in a puff of smoke. "Wish Number One coming right up" he said as he rubbed his hands together. He turned into a tornado and sent the heartless sailing away.

Genie turned back and saw Rin, Donald, Goofy and Sora staring at him in amazement.

"What's wrong with you?" Genie said with a grin. "Never seen a Genie before?"

* * *

As Carpet took them back to Agrabah Sora and the boy, Aladdin, told each other their stories. Aladdin had apparently found both the magic carpet and the lamp in the cave. The Genie could grant 3 wishes. As soon as Aladdin heard Jasmine was in danger, he put the wishes on hold.

Genie floated beside the carpet. He took a deep breath and grinned. "Ah, fresh air. The great outdoors. So wonderful."

"I guess you don't get out much, huh?" Sora asked.

"Comes with the job. Phenomenal cosmic powers. Itty-bitty living space," Genie said. "It's always three wishes then back to my portable prison." He sighed. "I'm lucky to see the light of day every centry or two."

They were silent for a moment.

"Say Genie," Aladdin said. "What if I use my last wish to free you from the lamp? What do you think?"

"You'd really do that?" Genie asked, hope in his voice.

Aladdin nodded. "It's a promise. After we help Jasmine."

They arrived in Agrabah and began to comb the streets for Jasmine.

"So, Jafar is after Jasmine and this 'keyhole'" Aladdin said.

Genie scrunched his brow. "Keyhole, eh? I could swear I've heard about that somewhere before…"

"Really," Donald said, staring intently at Genie. "Where?"

Genie didn't notice him. "Now, where was it? It's only been 200 years…"

"We'll focus on that later," Rin said. "We need to stop Jafar first."

They turn around a corner and came face to face with Jafar and Jasmine.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin said as he took a step forward.

Jafar blocked his way. "Setting your sights a little high, aren't you, boy?" He made a shooing movement. "Back to your hole, street rat. I will not allow you to trouble the princess any more."

"I'm so sorry, Aladdin," Jasmine said. She shrunk back when Jafar looked at her.

Aladdin held up the lamp and turned to Genie. "Genie help Jasmine, please."

Genie quickly appeared behind Jasmine and picked her up. "One wish left," he said. "You're making this really easy, you know."

Rin frowned as she saw Jafar's eager expression. Her eyes widened. "Aladdin stop, it's a trap."

Aladdin started as a parrot grabbed the lamp from his hands and brought it to Jafar.

"So sorry, boy," Jafar said. "I'm afraid your second wish has been denied."

Genie hung his head. "I'm so sorry, Al." He disappeared back into the lamp and dropped Jasmine into a pot.

The pot sprouted legs. Other pots sprouted legs as well. They came together and formed a centipede heartless.

Jafar grinned. "And now, I bid you all farewell." He motioned to them. "Attack!"

The Pot Centipede rushed forward. They could hear Jasmine yelling for help from one of the pots.

"We can't fight it," Aladdin said. "Jasmine is in one those."

"Then we won't fight it," Rin said. "We'll break it."

Sora grinned. "I like the way you think." He turned his attention to the heartless. "Let's do this."

They surrounded the pot centipede and began to attack different pots. Donald hit one with a bolt of lighting and broke it in half. Unfortunately it was empty.

"Got some anger issues there, Donald?" Rin asked as she she cracked a pot. It wobbled for a second before breaking.

"Ha, Ha" Donald said.

Jiminy crawled up to Rin's shoulder. "Whoa," He said as a pot barely missed them.

"You might want to get back in my pocket where it's safe," Rin said. "We're trying to rescue Jasmine."

"That's what I was going to tell you," Jiminy said. "Jasmine's not here."

"What?" Rin said. The pot centipede was roaring as it fell in defeat and disappeared.

"I said that Jasmine's not here," Jiminy yelled. "Jafar took her."

They all looked back at where the pot centipede had been. There was no trace of Jasmine.

Jafar laughed maniacally. They looked up just in time to see Jafar and Genie heading to the desert.

"Come on," Aladdin said, "we need to follow them."

Sora and the others quickly followed Aladdin. Rin was about to follow when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She whirled around and looked. There was no one there but she still felt like someone was watching her.

"Rin," Jiminy said. "We better hurry and catch up with them."

"Right, I'm going." She turned and saw Sora running back toward her.

He looked concerned. "You okay? I turned back and you weren't following us."

"Yeah, just thought I saw something," Rin said. "Must have been my imagination." She grabbed Sora's hand. "Let's catch up with the others."

As they ran back to the others, Rin couldn't help but notice how comfortable her hand felt in his.

* * *

Wolf and Riku watched from the dark alley. They didn't move until they were sure she was gone.

"That was close," Riku said as he glanced down at the unconscious Jasmine. They were barely able to slip away. The last thing they needed was being discovered. He couldn't. Not till he had found Kairi.

"We should move her now," Wolf said snapping Riku out of his thoughts.

"Right," Riku frowned in the direction Rin had run off to. "I don't trust her."

Wolf stiffened slightly. "Do you mean Rin?"

"Yes," Riku said. "She's changing Sora. I can see it and I don't like it."

"You must be imagining things," Wolf said.

"Maybe," Riku said. "Still I think Maleficent is right. We should be wary about her."

As he stooped down to pick up Jasmine, he didn't see Wolf's expression. It was a mixture between anger and worry.

_You're getting too close to the shadows, _Wolf thought, _once you go to far, you'll never get back._

* * *

L.A.: I'll try to update as soon as I can. You know what to do READ and REVIEW!


	19. Set Me Free

Set Me Free

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L.A.: Yay! Finally summer is here. I can finally focus on these stories again. In celebration and as an apology for making you wait so long, here is an extra long chapter. Enjoy!

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The Cave of Wonders was just as ominous as it was before. Its eyes glowed red. It opened its mouth as they approached it. Rin was pretty sure she could hear screams coming from inside.

"Do we really have to go in there?" Rin asked as she gripped the Heartstaff tightly. "It's creepy."

"It's just a cave," Donald said. "It's no big deal."

"Yeah, but I feel like it's going to eat me," Rin said.

"We should be fine," Aladdin said. "Just remember, don't touch the gold. Bad things happen if you touch it."

With that warning in mind, they entered the cave.

* * *

Genie was not happy. He had been forced to betray Al and now was helpless to a power hungry vizer.

He glanced down at Jasmine who was unconscious. She had been that way since Jafar had ordered him to kidnap her. He was worried. What if she didn't wake up?

"Genie!" Jafar said snapping him from his daze. "My first wish! Show me the Keyhole!"

Genie tried to resist. Tried to ignore the burning fire that spread through his body whenever he tried not to grant a wish.

It was killing him. He could feel his body shaking from the stress. Even though only a few seconds had past, it felt like hours for him.

He finally relented. Snapping his fingers, the keyhole appeared and the pain disappeared.

"Excellent," Jafar said.

A rustling behind him caught Jafar's attention. He turned around and saw Maleficent standing before him.

"Something the matter?" Jafar asked.

"That boy and his companions are almost here," Malificent said. "I thought you took care of him."

"He's more persistant than I expected," Jafar said as he stroked his chin. "Why not explain the situation to that boy Riku? Doing so may actually prove useful to our…"

He was cut off by a growl.

Wolf appeared beside Maleficent, looking displeased.

"Problems?" Maleficent asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They're almost here," Wolf said. "We should take our leave."

* * *

As they rounded the corner, Rin knew they were closing in on Jafar. The rooms had become more grand with gold and decadent ornaments everywhere.

They rushed to the next room and were surprised by what they saw.

Not only were Genie, Jafar, and an unconscious Jasmine there but also Wolf and a green witch like person.

Sora frowned as he pointed to the witch. "Wait a second…are you Maleficent?"

Maleficent smirked as she disappeared into a dark portal.

Wolf stared at Rin for a moment before following Maleficent. His tail was between his legs.

_That heartless works for Maleficent? _Rin thought. _But that doesn't feel right._

"Let Jasmine go, Jafar," Aladdin said, breaking Rin from her thoughts.

Jafar laughed. "Not a chance. You see, she's a princess…one of seven who somehow hold the key to opening the door."

"Open…" Goofy said with confusion.

"The door?" Donald said finishing Goofy's thought.

"Why not use a key instead," Rin asked.

Sora snorted as he attempted to cover up his laughter.

Jafar's eyes narrowed. "You fools won't live to see what lies beyond it." He motioned to Genie. "Genie, my second wish. Crush them!"

Genie writhed and twisted in place.

"Genie, please, don't," Aladdin said.

Genie winced. "Sorry Al," he grounded out. "The one with the lamp calls the shots. I don't have a choice."

Genie grew big and hovered behind Jafar.

Jafar sent an electrical blast from his staff toward the group. They split up before it hit them.

"Look out!" Genie said as he swiped at Aladdin. Aladdin barely dodged in time.

Sora rolled over to Rin.

"What do we do?" Rin asked. "I don't want to hurt Genie."

Sora gritted his teeth. His eyes darted from Genie to Jafar. "We'll have to focus on Jafar for now and hopefully steal the lamp back before Genie squashes us."

Genie let out a shout and Sora and Rin dodged at the last second as Genie's hand slammed into the ground leaving a dent.

Rin sent a fire spell at Jafar. Jafar deflected it then sent a spell quickly back. It hit her and she suddenly found herself being squeezed by a giant snake.

"Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" She yelled as started to feel pressure around her ribs.

"Hold on!" Goofy said as he and Donald raced toward her. Suddenly they were scooped up by Genie.

"Let us go!" Donald yelled.

"I'm sorry," Genie said. "I'm not in control."

"Sorry I have to do this, Genie," Aladdin said as he jumped up and slashed his sword at Genie's hands.

Genie immediately dropped them. "Thanks," he said.

Rin was starting to have trouble breathing. Every time she took a breath, the snake would tighten its hold. Her ribs were voicing their opinon on the matter by aching badly.

She looked up just in time to see Sora slash the boa constrictor. The snake hissed before disappearing.

Sora offered his hand to her. She accepted it and stood up. "Thanks."

He smiled at her.

"Genie," Jafar yelled causing them to look at him. "My final wish! I want you to make me an all-powerful genie!"

Genie closed his eyes and pointed his finger at Jafar. Bluish energy left Genie's finger and wrapped itself around Jafar.

When the magic died down, Jafar had morphed into a giant red genie.

His laughter shook the room. "Now, let's see what you can do!"

The room jolted. Lava seeped from the wall and pooled at the edge of the room.

"This just went from bad to worse," Sora muttered.

Movement from the corner of her eye caught Rin's attention. Iago was hovering to the side with a black lamp in his claws.

"I think Iago has Jafar's lamp," Rin said.

"Try to get it," Aladdin said. Rin started. She hadn't realized he was nearby. "We'll keep him distracted."

Aladdin, Donald, Goofy, and Sora charged toward Jafar.

Rin cut to the right, her gaze focused on Iago. Iago was laughing and hovering in one spot. He hadn't even noticed her.

"Thunder!" Rin yelled as she aimed the Heartstaff at Iago. A lightning beam jumped from the Heartstaff and hit Iago.

Iago howled as he fell to the ground. The lamp let out a loud clang as it skidded across the floor. Rin quickly scooped it up.

"Hey Jafar!" She yelled as she held up the lamp. The others stopped fighting as Jafar's face paled. "Time to go back in your lamp."

The lamp glowed. A black wind seeped out of it and wrapped itself around Jafar. Jafar tried to escape it but the wind was too strong. It sucked him into the lamp.

They were silent for a moment.

"Do I still have to hold this?" Rin asked as she held the lamp several feet from her body.

"She's gone," Aladdin said causing everyone to look in his direction. He was standing in front of the keyhole looking at the spot where Jasmine had been. "Where did they take her?"

Genie sheepishly approached Aladdin. His lamp was in his hands. "Al? I'm so sorry." He held out his lamp to Aladdin. "You still have one more wish."

Aladdin took the lamp from him. He studied the lamp for a moment. "Genie, I made a deal," He looked up at Genie,"and I plan, to keep it. Genie, I wish for your freedom."

Genie's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" He stared at his wrists. The cuffs disappeared. "I'm free?" The words were barely above a whisper as if he couldn't really believe it himself.

"Look," Donald said as he pointed to the Keyhole. "It's shining."

The Keyhole was indeed glowing. Sora felt the familiar tug from the Keyblade. He held it up toward the keyhole. A beam of light shot out of it and locked the Keyhole.

As soon as the lock clicked in place, the room began to shake.

"Whoa," Goofy said, "we'd better get out of here."

Carpet waved frantically to them before flattening himself to allow them to get on. Jiminy was perched on top of it.

"Come on," he said. "The cave's about to collapse."

Aladdin stayed behind, staring at the keyhole. "Jasmine."

"Come on," Sora said as he grabbed one of Aladdin's arms.

"We really need to get going," Rin added.

Reluctantly, Aladdin followed them.

As soon as Carpet was sure they were all on, it sped off into the Cave of Wonders.

The group watched in horror as the cave started to crumble around them. Lava was seeping from the walls. It hit the floor with a hiss, destroying everything around it.

Carpet deftly dodged falling debris as it moved closer and closer to the exit.

"We're not going to make it," Donald yelled.

From out of nowhere, a boulder came barreling toward them.

Carpet sharply turned to avoid it. Its passengers were jostled roughly as they tried to hang on. Unfortunately for Rin, her grip slipped.

Sora's eyes widened as Rin fell off of Carpet. Time seemed to slow down as he reached out for her.

He saw the fear in her eyes as she tried to reach back. Their hands missed. Time sped up abruptly and with a yell, Rin was sent plummeting to the lava pool below.

"We need to go back for Rin," Sora yelled.

"Rin fell off?" Donald quacked.

Carpet veered back but was blocked off by more flying debris.

"We can't," Aladdin said. "It's too late." He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Sora lurched forward but Donald and Goofy caught him.

"What are you doing?" Goofy asked.

"I have to help her," Sora said.

"You can't." Donald said. "You're the Keyblade master. If you die, we're all doomed."

The exit was up ahead. Sora sat back on the Carpet. He felt numb. He had failed.

* * *

Rin coughed as she tried to figure out where she was. Luckily for her, she had landed on a cliff that hadn't fallen into the lava yet. She only had a few cuts and bruises.

_Or maybe not so lucky, _she thought as she coughed again.

She pulled the collar of her shirt up over her mouth. The smoke was making it difficult to breathe. Also, unless Carpet was able to make it back or she sprouted wings, she wasn't getting out.

_Set me free. _

Rin looked around. It was the voice. The one that had introduced her to the Heartstaff.

_Set me free. Let me spread my wings._

The voice was gone but the message resonated with Rin. She remembered what Merlin had told her. The Heartstaff might have the capability of flying.

Rin held the Heartstaff in front of her. _Here goes nothing and I mean nothing._

She could feel the words forming on her lips. It was as if someone were guiding her through the motions.

"Wingardum." The word was a barely above a whisper but it didn't seem to matter. The Heartstaff began to glow. The small wings flapped once and then began to grow.

They grew to several feet in length. The glow died down as the wings flapped and stretched as if they had been released from confinement.

"Cool," Rin croacked out. This was followed by more coughing. She needed to get out of there.

She straddled the staff as if it were a witch's broom. She bent her knees and pushed up. The wings flapped and suddenly she was in the air zooming toward the now crumbling path to the exit.

Even though she was still in danger, a sense of excitement ran through her. It was as if she was connected with the Heartstaff. As if she could feel its joy vibrating through her.

Her eyes narrowed a second later when she saw her escape dwindling away. It seemed the cave was determined to bury her her. She urged the Heartstaff forward. She had to make it.

* * *

Sora collapsed to his knees in front of the Cave of Wonders. He didn't care if he looked stupid. He had failed. He was the hero and he couldn't even safe his friend. Guilt raked him. Why was he chosen? He was so useless.

He could here sniffing behind him. Donald and Goofy were standing with their heads bowed. Goofy was bawling. Jiminy sat on top of Goofy's hat dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. Aladdin and the others stood to the side, giving them space.

A crash signaled that the cave had finally collapsed.

Sora glanced up at the Cave and he froze. A shadow floated before them. As it got closer, he realized that it wasn't a shadow but Rin covered in soot and riding the Heartstaff.

She landed in front of him. She coughed and grinned sheepishly. "So, guess what? The Heartstaff can fly. Who knew?"

Sora's mouth opened and closed in disbelief. Relief rushed through him. He stood up and in one swift motion pulled her into a hug.

"Don't ever do that again," Sora muttered.

"Okay," Rin said.

Sora wasn't sure but he thought he felt her snuggle into his chest.

Then the moment of relief was over and they realized what they were doing. They quickly broke apart and grinned at each other sheepishly.

Still bawling, Goofy ran up to them and pulled them into a tight group hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Jiminy jumped onto Rin's shoulder and hugged her. "Me too."

"Thanks." Rin laughed as she glanced at Donald. He was quickly wiping his eyes. "Oh no, did Donald cry?"

"No," Donald said. "I just had something in my eye."

Goofy grabbed Donald and pulled him into the hug. "Come on, you need to join in the group hug."

After a moment, Rin said. "Uh guys? You're kind of squishing me."

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L.A.: And we're finally done with Agrabah! And, yes, the word she used to make the Heartstaff fly is very similar to one of the spells in Harry Potter. I'm really hoping to finish the story by the end of the summer. Anyway you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


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